CAIR-Ohio joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other leading civil rights organizations to file a brief in federal court arguing that border agents should have to obtain a warrant to search travelers’ phones, tablets, and laptops, which contain a vast trove of sensitive, highly personal information that is protected by the Fourth Amendment.
A bill now in the Ohio House would repeal the right of discrimination and retaliation victims to file civil suit against supervisors who unlawfully harass, discriminate or retaliate against them. This will have an impact on victims of many types of discrimination, including Muslims who suffer from discrimination based on religion or national origin.
Tell your House Representative to VOTE NO on House Bill 2. It would repeal decades of Ohio law holding companies and their managers responsible for the costs of their unlawful discrimination and retaliation.
CAIR-Columbus attorneys Jennifer Nimer and Romin Iqbal participated in an event titled “Courthouse to the Community” which was organized by Columbus City Councilmember Michael Stinziano. The event was aimed at connecting immigrants with local legal service organizations. CAIR-Columbus along with 20 plus other legal providers met with members of the community to educate them about their legal services
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/15/2017) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, tonight welcomed an order issued by a federal judge in Hawaii blocking President Trump’s new “Muslim Ban 2.0” executive order.
That presidential executive order, issued March 6, preserved major components of the original Muslim ban, including halting new visas and green cards for people from six majority-Muslim countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – stopping all refugees from entering the United States for 120 days and limiting total refugee admissions. The ban was set to go into effect just after midnight tonight.
PHASE IN PERIOD
– The Travel Ban 2.0 will not go into effect until March 16, 2017 and the older order, signed on January 27, 2017 has been replaced.
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
– Ban will not apply to lawful permanent residents and current visa holders. However, expect high scrutiny at the border when entering.
(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 3/10/17) – The Columbus Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Columbus) announced today the filing of two federal lawsuits for eleven Muslim plaintiffs with extreme immigration application delays.
The first lawsuit, filed against US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and various officials from DHS and USCIS, was filed on behalf of a Libyan national who is a U.S. green card holder with a citizenship application pending since 2014.
3/10/17 – CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Jennifer Nimer, was appointed this week to the City of Columbus’ New American Advisory Council (“NAAC”).
The NAAC consists of representatives for various elected officials along with representatives of community organizations that represent refugees and immigrants. It was first convened last year by now-Commissioner Kevin Boyce to discuss ways that the city and state could help the newest Americans in our community to integrate into our broader society.
Since the presidential election, the NAAC has been meeting weekly in order to discuss issues affecting local new Americans and to discuss ways to promote the image of immigrants and refugees in Ohio. The Council is planning a large symposium in May that will be open to the public and will highlight the positive contributions of refugees and immigrants to our local Ohio communities.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Thursday, March 7th, a prominent group of interfaith clergy and community leaders gathered at Trinity Episcopal Church to condemn President Trump’s executive order banning the entry of immigrants and visitors from Muslim-majority countries, as well as refugees.
Clergy and community leaders called on President Trump to immediately repeal this executive order and protect religious freedom. Our nation was founded to be a beacon of hope and freedom for people fleeing violence and persecution.
CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Jennifer Nimer, was one of three panelists to speak at the International Women’s Day event at the Ohio Statehouse on March 6, 2017. The panelists discussed the contributions their organizations are making to advancing immigrant women’s rights in central Ohio.
Nimer said that CAIR has consistently been the leading Muslim organization in promoting women in leadership roles. She pointed out that nationwide CAIR has many female Executive Directors, lawyers, and board members, including the current chair of the CAIR National Board.
Columbus City Council is continuing to fight against hate speech and discrimination.
On Monday, March 6, from 5-7pm at the Abubakar Assidiq Islamic Center, Columbus City Council held a roundtable discussion regarding the proliferation in hateful Islamophobic rhetoric and violence across the country.
A panel of interfaith leaders and representatives helped facilitate the conversation, including CAIR-Columbus Legal Director Romin Iqbal. Mr. Iqbal also gave a report on the state of Islamophobia and status of other marginalized groups in America before the start of the panel discussion.
CAIR National Offers $5000 Reward for Info
(COLUMBUS, OH 2/21/17) – The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed solidarity with and support for the Jewish community after a wave of bomb threats targeted community centers nationwide, including the Mandel JCC in Cleveland. In January, JCCs in Cincinnati and Columbus were also targeted.
Like you, we only recently received the final, signed copies of President Trump’s Executive Orders targeting Muslims and refugees. And like you, we are appalled at these attempts to erode our American values by targeting individuals based on race, religion, and national origin.
A complete analysis will take time, but we continue to hear from many of you, worried about what this means for your families and friends. Accordingly, we wanted to reach out and offer some preliminary guidance. We will send out more details as they become clear.
(Columbus, OH, 1/25/17) – On Thursday, January 26, the Council on American-Islamic-Relations, Columbus chapter, an office of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will hold a news conference with other non-profit, refugee rights groups, civic & faith leaders to offer reactions to recent and upcoming executive orders signed by President Donald Trump.
CAIR-Columbus Attorneys Jennifer Nimer and Romin Iqbal will be among the presenters at the Columbus Bar Association 5th Annual MLK, Jr. Memorial Symposium on January 27. The morning session is entitled Modern Day Hate, and will cover the Muslim-American experience in present day U.S.
The 5th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Symposium will be split into two sessions – morning and afternoon. Both of the sessions open to attorneys or non-attorneys, but space is limited so register in advance.
The Women’s March on Washington was an amazing and powerful moment in history, but we have to make sure we don’t let that momentum die. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work! Tomorrow we will be launching our CAIR-Ohio 100 Days of Action campaign. Every day for the first #100days of the new administration we will post new action items that we can all take part in so that we stay engaged and empowered. Visit our CAIR-OHIO 100 Days of Action website for daily action alerts at www.cairohiofirst100.com.