Category: recent news

CAIR-COLUMBUS CO-COUNSELING LATEST LITIGATION AGAINST THE TRAVEL BAN

CAIR and CAIR-Columbus, along with the Brennan Center for Justice in New York and the law firm of Profeta & Eisenstein, announced the filing of a federal lawsuit on behalf of six individuals challenging the lawfulness of President Trump’s most recent attempt to implement a “Muslim ban.”

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and two of the plaintiffs are from Columbus, including the lead plaintiff in the case. 

On Sunday, October 1, CAIR-Columbus Public Affairs Coordinator, Usjid Hameed, and Operations Coordinator, Monuza Ashraf, spoke at Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Grandview to a study group focused on learning more about Muslims and the Islamic faith.

During the event, Hameed and Ashraf discussed the overlaps between Christianity and Islam, the diversity among Muslims both within Central Ohio and around the globe, as well as how individuals can safely intervene when witness to someone verbally attacking another person who appears to be Muslim.  

A recent survey conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (IPSU) found that 42% of Muslim students in grades K-12 have reported bullying because of their faith.  Even more alarming was the finding that one in four bullying incidents of Muslim students involved a teacher or school official. 

In light of these disturbing statistics, CAIR-Columbus has initiated an anti-bullying campaign which includes teacher and administrator education as a main component.  Our new Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices is a comprehensive guide that will assist teachers, principals, administrators and other educators in formulating and implementing policies and programs that will help to create a culturally sensitive and supportive academic environment for our Muslim students.

The US Supreme Court will hear the Muslim Ban cases in October. In the meantime they have lifted the injunctions on parts of the ban.

Here are the main points you need to know:
Starting Thursday June 29 at 8:00 pm If you are from these 6 countries (Iran, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya and Sudan) and don’t have a bona fide relationship (personal, work, study) AND don’t already have a visa by June 28, 2017 – you can’t get a visa or enter the United States for 90 days starting June 29, 2017.

In March 2017, CAIR-Columbus filed a mandamus lawsuit in federal court in Columbus on behalf of 10 Somali refugees whose green card applications had been pending for almost 3 years without adjudication.

See: CAIR-Columbus Files Immigration Delay Lawsuits

“We are happy to announce that since the filing in March, we were able to obtain green cards for 6 of the ten plaintiffs in the case, and expect the other four plaintiffs will be receiving their green cards soon as well,” said Executive Director Jennifer Nimer.

Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce together with the newly-formed New American Advisory Council, which CAIR-Columbus is a part of, will host a New American Forum on Wednesday, May 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The event will foster dialogue and familiarity on the challenges and opportunities facing Franklin County’s immigrant community, while raising awareness and promoting integration through community engagement.