“Far from a victory in the fight for women’s rights, France’s ban of the burqa, the head-to-toe covering worn by some Muslim women, is a red herring, a deflection, and a blow for free societies everywhere,” writes Christina Abraham, CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Director.
A Muslim family was wrongly denied access to an aquatic center in Lyons last summer when employees told them their clothing violated the facility’s rules, state officials said Friday. “This incident is a blatant example of anti-Muslim discrimination,” Christina Abraham, civil rights director for the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. “Everyone is entitled to the equal enjoyment of public places.”
As a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf herself, Syed is particularly concerned with the misconceptions of Muslim women who choose to cover their hair and dress modestly.
“After 9/11, I noticed people were confused, not wanting to learn but just going on what they see in the media,” said Syed, 36. “The impression it leaves is … that Muslim women are being oppressed, suppressed, abused and forced on — everything that Islam does not stand for. Islam respects women.
CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham discusses recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Khatib v. County of Orange. Abraham argues that the court of appeals decision violates free exercise rights.
CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham discusses recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Khatib v. County of Orange. Abraham argues that the court of appeals decision violates free exercise rights.
“In the interest of national security I don’t mind [being searched]. American Muslims are also concerned about remaining safe. But we should not be singled out because of our religious beliefs,” said Amina Sharif, CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator.
CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham, who attended the hearing with Amal Abusumayyah, said afterward, “We are hopeful that this sent a message to the public that sort of behavior will not be tolerated by a fair and just society.”
CAIR-Chicago announced today that it is pleased with the plea agreement reached yesterday between state prosecutors and Valerie Kenney, a suburban woman who faced hate crime charges after attacking a Muslim woman at a Tinley Park grocery store 2 days after the Fort Hood shooting.
Amal Abusumayah says Valerie Kenney, 54, complained loudly in a Tinley Park grocery aisle about a November shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. Police say Kenney also pulled on Abusumayah’s headscarf.
A southwest suburban woman who was charged with a hate crime against another woman pled guilty Tuesday and was sentenced to probation and mandatory anger management and diversity understanding classes, according to the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
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