REUTERS: U.S. MUSLIMS MOVING INTO PRIME-TIME POLITICS
By Michael Conlon
October 27, 2006
CHICAGO (Reuters) - At less than 3 percent of America's 300 million residents, Muslims are still on the fringe of political influence and power, experts say. But that may be changing.
A voter registration and get-out-the-vote drive is under way in the Muslim community before the Nov. 7 mid-term election. And it comes at a time when their interest in politics may have been sharpened to a new edge by the expected election of the first Muslim to the U.S. Congress.
That will likely come in a heavily Democratic Minneapolis district for 43-year-old Keith Ellison, a native-born convert to Islam who would also be the first black member of Congress from Minnesota.
His candidacy "is being followed very closely in the Muslim community throughout the country," said one activist in Chicago, where more than 1,000 new Muslim-American voters have been registered in recent weeks.
Ellison's likely election would carry "a great symbolic meaning" but future political gains will be one step at a time, cautioned Louise Cainkar, research fellow at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
"Muslim-Americans are emerging as a voice to be recognized in American society," she said. "I don't think they have power yet. You must first acknowledge you have a right to be part of the discourse. They are working on that now and to some degree they have attained that."
"But there are a lot of people who don't want that voice to emerge," she said, a common theme in American history where Irish, Jews and other newcomers were repeatedly treated with suspicion and discrimination by those already established.
Cainkar said experts believe there are 6 million to 8 million Muslims in America. While the total is a small percentage, they tend to live in urban pockets where concentration can lead to political punch.
Ellison's primary victory, tantamount to election in his district, came with heavy support from Somali immigrants living there.
Nationally about 2 million Muslims are registered voters -- including 30,000 added to the rolls in recent weeks, according to Mukit Hossain, who is heading up a voter registration drive for the Muslim American Society.
'STRONG SENSE OF URGENCY'
This year "there is a great deal of concern and a strong sense of urgency to come out and vote in large numbers," he said. "We are callously eroding civil liberties and dismembering civil rights," while pursuing a foreign policy that targets Muslim countries, he added.
The group, which has set up voter registration booths in mosques across the country, is concentrating on 12 states. A recent poll found that 42 percent of Muslim voters were Democrats compared with 17 percent Republicans, with 28 percent having no party affiliation.
But in terms of public office, Muslims have not gained much of a foothold above the local board level, said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office.
"Ten years ago the biggest challenge to the Muslim community was its own political immaturity or organization and understanding of the political process," he said. But since then Muslims have become engaged around issues.
"The biggest challenge we face today is no longer political maturity but resistance from right-wing groups who see Muslim engagement as problematic. We're already seeing that with the Keith Ellison saga. It's become a question of who he is and his past associations," Rehab said.
Ellison once had ties to Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan but has renounced him.
The chance to flex political muscle, however, is evident among Ellison's supporters.
"He's making history," said Somali immigrant Abdi Kahin, 31, shortly after Ellison won the primary. His election would show "we are a diverse nation that can elect whoever we want."
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
National and International News Coverage:
- Reuters Photo
- Reuters News Service
- Yahoo! News Coverage
- The Washington Post
- Peninsula On-line, Qatar
- TVNZ, New Zealand
- Monsters and Critics.com, UK
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: 'PRANK' GETS TEEN LESSON IN TOLERANCE
By Jason George
October 23, 2006
Displacing a Muslim woman's scarf leads to sensitivity training
David Huffman told police it was just a prank gone wrong: On April 22, at a McDonald's in Tinley Park, he tapped a Muslim woman on the head, nearly pulling off her headscarf.
The woman, a young mother with her children, didn't see it as harmless. She was scared and embarrassed; her faith had been attacked. She told police, and they called it battery.
But in a surprising twist, a Cook County circuit judge did not fine or jail Huffman, who pleaded guilty. He was instead ordered to undergo sensitivity training at the downtown Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization.
During the past three months, Huffman, 18, has spent 40 hours listening to and talking with Muslims across Chicagoland. He has completed required tasks that seemed ripped from reality television: watching Muslim youths play basketball, attending a 9/11 event and visiting area mosques, which Huffman called "synagogues" at the beginning of his training.
But what exactly did David Huffman learn?
Day 1
When Huffman first arrived Aug. 4 at the Muslim civil rights organization's office, his hands were shaking from nervousness, and he appeared as though he'd rather have been anywhere else. He was late, for starters. He arrived with his shoes untied and a patchy stubble, looking more like he had just stumbled out of bed than spent the better part of an hour commuting from Tinley Park.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Huffman said of the April incident, soon after arriving. "I want to forget it."
He eventually told his version of the events. He said he knew he was wrong, but he was confused why the woman had become so upset.
"I understood immediately after I did it. But even after I apologized, she was still so angry," he said. "I didn't understand that."
Explaining that to him would be the responsibility of Veronica Zapata, the organization's sensitivity training coordinator. That day, she led Huffman around the corner to the Downtown Islamic Center on South State Street, where she showed him the empty mosque.
"Religion is a waste of time," Huffman said without apparent malice, as his fingers traced ceramic tiles that spell out the 99 names of God in Islam. He checked his mobile phone text messages with his other hand.
Zapata, 32, a Mexican-American Muslim convert, winced at the comment, but she later said she was optimistic about the next several weeks.
"I don't know how reflective he's going to be. I feel the resistance," she said. "I think he has good potential."
`I got in trouble'
Huffman's April arrest came less than two months before he was to graduate from Tinley Park's Andrew High School, where he struggled to stay out of trouble, he said.
"I'm a legend in my high school," he said with a self-conscious swagger.
Still, his brushes with authority have not soured him on applying to a police force when he graduates from community college. It's a calling Huffman said he feels because he wants to help people and because he's a good communicator.
Those communication skills were initially absent as he spent a Friday evening with numerous youths at the Muslim Youth Center in Bridgeview. Huffman was timid around the teens, which could have come from the fact that three young men asked why he was there soon after his arrival, and they left little doubt that they already knew the answer.
"I got in trouble with some Muslims," Huffman said, as the teenagers waited for a longer answer. "I tapped a woman on the head, and they gave me 40 hours."
Conversation turned to sports and video games until everyone broke for evening prayers.
Luqman Rashad, the center's energetic director, led prayers that evening on the basketball court, where Huffman watched intently, taking off his baseball hat as if the national anthem had begun.
Rashad filled his sermon with several topics, telling the 30 or so boys that one must always struggle to do right. And he said Muslim women have it hard in America because the hijab, or head scarf, alerts others to their religion. "It's important to understand the struggles our sisters are going through," he said.
Huffman looked away.
Minutes later, he was sitting at a conference table with three Muslim teenagers who all wear hijabs.
"It's not just a scarf; it's who you are," said Amneh Noubani, 19, who like one of the younger women said she started wearing her hijab at the suggestion of her parents and to honor God.
The young women explained that the hijab is part of Islam's call for modest dress, although Muslims disagree exactly what modest is. The hijab has become a lightning rod as the religion has increased its presence in western countries, where the hijab is sometimes seen as oppressive, and protests have surrounded it from Florida to France.
The group asked Huffman if he had any questions or comments.
He said he had none.
Ramadan lessons
By the beginning of October, after other activities around town, Huffman was back at the Council on American-Islamic Relations' office, where he worked hard to complete a PowerPoint presentation he was required to give to the organization's volunteers at the end of his 40 hours. The month of Ramadan had begun, and the office was full of people fasting from dawn to sunset. Huffman surrounded his computer with a spread of cookies, pasta salad and soda.
He told all who would listen that he was going to be a millionaire one day by inventing a cell phone with a parachute that deploys when dropped. He spoke loud and often, and seemed unaware that his chosen topics, such as the proliferation of bikinis on the social networking Web site MySpace, were doing little to endear him to the office.
But he was learning something.
"What time does fasting end today?" Zapata asked another Muslim sitting nearby.
"6:15 p.m., I think," Huffman responded out of nowhere.
They both smiled.
Not because he was right--he wasn't. But at less than 10 minutes off, he was pretty close.
PowerPoint praise
At their final meeting Oct. 13, Zapata and Huffman playfully teased each other like siblings.
In Huffman's PowerPoint slides, he described Zapata as "probably one of the nicest" people he's ever met. "She made [it possible] for me to understand the religion."
He smiled at her in the darkened room.
"I really did learn a lot from this experience. It made me [realize] some things that I might not have noticed without this training," he said. "And I am going to take this experience with me through my entire life."
Of course, he was supposed to say all of this, but Huffman seemed serious and earnest. And he took the time to reach out to those in the office, whether they had ignored him previously or not.
"I hope you guys take away from this that I am a really nice guy and I care about other people" he said. "People make mistakes; don't let it judge the person for the rest of their life."
The group applauded, and several people patted Huffman on the back, telling him he should return as a volunteer, although next time without the threat of jail time.
Ahmed Rehab, CAIR's executive director, later said he was so impressed with Huffman's development.
"The great thing about Dave's progress is that he didn't come in full of hate," Rehab said. "He, like so many people in the general population, had simply come to his opinions because he never knew a Muslim."
For the first time since his initial day at the council, Huffman again visited the Downtown Islamic Center, walking with two young Muslim men from the office, who did not talk to him the whole way there. There was a crowd at the mosque this time, since it was during Ramadan, which ended Sunday, according to the Islamic Society of North America.
Once inside, one of the men told Huffman he could wait in the hallway, which Huffman did, returning to stare at the tiles listing the names of God in Islam: The All Forgiving. The Hidden. The Majestic.
As the imam preached peace and togetherness, Huffman was feet away but not listening, in a different world altogether. The faithful packed the mosque that day; Huffman checked text messages.
He did however go into the stairwell to check those messages, which, based on the previous weeks, may be a small step of improvement.
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jageorge@tribune.com
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
- `Prank' gets teen lesson in tolerance.
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KNOW YOUR MOSQUE SERIES:
The Midwest Islamic Center (Masjid al-Huda)
By Dina Rehab
November 2, 2006
The Midwest Islamic Center, commonly known as Masjid Al-Huda, is the only Islamic Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. The center, comprised of a mosque and a weekend Islamic school, serves several neighboring suburbs located within an 8 mile radius of the center; suburbs include: Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Roselle, Hanover Park, Streamwood, Bartlett and Elk Grove.
"The center serves approximately 10,000 families within an 8 mile radius," explained Rezwanul Haque, one of the key leaders at the Midwest Islamic Center, "that's 10,000 families not individuals," he emphasized.
Congregants are of a variety of ethnicities which include roughly 85% Indo-Pakistani, 15% Bosnian, Arab (predominantly Egyptian and Moroccan) and white. The female attendance to the mosque is approximately 80% (male) to 20% (female) for prayer, and 60% (male) to 40% (female) for events.
History
Real steps to build a mosque in the Schaumburg area began in 1992, as the need to serve the rising Muslim population in the area became more prevalent. Extreme measures; however, to expedite the fundraising and building process were evident post 9-11.
"After 9-11, it was very difficult for us to rent out a place for Friday prayers" said Haque. The need of building a mosque, as well as an Islamic Center, increased post 9-11 when residents could no longer rent out halls for Friday prayers.
Congregants first prayed in the mosque in December 2001. The Islamic center received its temporary occupancy in 2004 and official occupancy in mid-October of 2006.
Programs & Services
The center holds a variety of services which include two Friday sermons and prayers (with a total of approximately 1,000 attendees each week), a weekend Islamic school (pre-school through 8th grade), Tafsir classes (an explanation of the meaning of the Qur'an) classes, lectures, charity distribution, performance of Nikah (religious wedding ceremony) and funeral services, an annual Mawlad Al-Nabawi (birth of the prophet) celebration, an annual workshop on Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) that educates pilgrims on the proper protocols of Hajj, an annual busy bee camp for girls and boys and an annual interfaith iftar (breaking of fast during Ramadan) with members of the Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates Clergy Association.
"I have been coming for four years," said Syeda Hussain, sophomore at UIC majoring in Math Teaching Education, referring to Rabab Gomaa's weekly lectures for teenagers and college students. "It's great! Every time, I learn something new."
The Board
The board currently has 11 members of which 5 are life-time trustees and 6 are rotating members. Rotating members are selected every 3 years by the existing board members. Currently board members include: Dawood Gul (President), Jawed Akram (General Secretary), Abdul Wahid Karim, Mohammed Farooq Patel, Ahmed Karim, Rezwanul Haque, Jamil Zara, Aqeel Akhtar, Mir Maqsood Ali, Mustafa Abdullah, and Asif Sabri.
When asked about the absence of female board members, Haque responded: "We plan on nominating active female members during the next rotation, insha'Allah. We are not against female participation, actually the current principal of the weekend school is female and over 50% of the teachers are female."
Goals
The Midwest Islamic Center has purchased additional parking space to better serve local congregants; however, funds are being collected as part of a short-term project to pave the parking lot.
The center also has long-term plans of expanding the prayer hall, which the mosque design accounted for during the planning stages of the mosque.
Those who wish to contribute to these expansion projects can do so by contacting Rezwanul Haque, or by attending the center's upcoming fundraising dinner on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, 7 p.m. at Montys Elegant Banquet in Bensenville. For more information, please call the Midwest Islamic Center at 630-529-1786.
Dina Rehab is CAIR-Chicago's Outreach Coordinator, contact her at for more information on the "Know Your Mosque" series.
Copyright © CAIR-Chicago 2006
- Masjid al-Huda Photos
- Short clip from Friday prayer: October 27th, 2006
- Mosque Vandalized: August 19th, 2006
CAIR-CHICAGO RESOLVES EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT WITH COOK COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
October 26, 2006
CAIR-Chicago's Legal Advisor Maaria Mozaffar served as the key negotiator and representative in a case involving a complaint of employment discrimination by a police officer who has served the Cook County Sheriff's Department for the past 12 years with a clean record.
The officer alleged repeated instances of discrimination, specifically two derogatory statements made by his supervising Lieutenant. After filing a complaint against his supervisor, the officer was moved from his 7am to 3pm desk job to a midnight patrol position. Additionally, his county squad car was also taken away and he began to receive several reprimands which he believed were retaliatory.
The officer filed a claim of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chicago District Office regarding his supervisor.
CAIR-Chicago immediately became involved in the matter and Legal Advisor Maaria Mozaffar contacted the Cook County Sheriff's Department requesting negotiations.
Both parties met several times during the past few months in order to negotiate a resolution. CAIR-Chicago was able to secure compensation for medical hours and vacation hours used by the officer to resolve this issue. Also, CAIR-Chicago secured the officer's return to full duty with the same hours he held prior to the incident, along with being reissued a county vehicle.
Most importantly, the officer now may approach the General Counsel directly, allowing for future complaints to be expedited.
CAIR-Chicago is pleased to have resolved this complaint through negotiations. This is an excellent example for others who are facing discrimination at work but are afraid of their employer's retaliation. We would like to commend the officer for his bravery in coming forth with this complaint, as officers who daily serve and protect the county should not have to face discrimination and retaliation by their fellow officers.
For more information contact Legal Advisor Maaria Mozaffar at .
Copyright © 2006, CAIR-Chicago
In the News
- Final Call News: A march towards martial law?
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November 6, 2006
- The Advocate (Minnesota State University Moorehead): Speaker takes look at Islam
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November 2, 2006
- Beliefnet: U.S. Muslims Mobilize in 2006 Elections
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October 30, 2006
- Yahoo! News: U.S. Muslims moving into prime-time politics
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October 27, 2006
- Northwest Indiana Times: Survey Shows Muslims flexing political muscle
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October 27, 2006
- Reuters: U.S. Muslims moving into prime-time politics
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October 27, 2006
- The Washington Post: U.S. Muslims moving into prime-time politics
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October 27, 2006
- Chicago Tribune: `Prank' gets teen lesson in tolerance
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October 23, 2006
- The Forum (Fargo-Moorhead): Muslim activist to speak at MSUM
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October 22, 2006
- The Peninsula Qatar: Hamas terrorist financing trial set to open today
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October 18, 2006
Press Center
- Press Release: Diverse Group of Organizations Demand Clarification from Congressman Jerry Weller
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November 6, 2006
- Press Release: American-Muslim Community Mobilizes for Election Day
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November 6, 2006
- Dr. John Esposito and Ahmed Rehab Address the University of Chicago
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November 1, 2006
- Photos: Understanding Islam in the Modern World II, with Dr. John Esposito and Ahmed Rehab
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November 1, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Assists with License Suspension Issue
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November 1, 2006
- Second Status Hearing for Citizenship Delay Case
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October 31, 2006
- Muslim Students Resolve Prayer Accommodation
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October 30, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Attends University of Chicago Immigration Symposium
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October 28, 2006
- 5 More Citizenship Delay Clients Undergoing Re-interview Process
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October 27, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Governmental Relations Coordinator Presents on Civic Engagement
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October 26, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Attends Hate Crime Court Hearing
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October 26, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Appeals Administrative Ruling
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October 26, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Conducts Nightly Phone Banking Sessions in Bridgeview
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October 26, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago's Cultural Sensitivity Speaker at the Art Institute of Chicago
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October 25, 2006
Recent Events
- Executive Director at the University of Birmingham
November 5, 2006
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- Communications Coordinator, Sultan Muhammad to speak on "The Concept of Justice in Islam"
November 2-4, 2006
- Esposito, Rehab: Understanding Islam in the Modern World II - University of Chicago
November 1, 2006
- Fall Action Assembly with Gubernatorial Candidates
October 29, 2006
- Executive Director to Join CTU Panel on Faith, Politics, and Public Policy
October 26, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Governmental Relations Coordinator to Speak on Civic Engagement at Northwestern University
October 26, 2006
- Ahmed Rehab, Fall Speaker at Minnesota State University Moorehead
October 24, 2006
- Ramadan Outreach - Muslim Association of Greater Rockford
October 21, 2006
 
RECENT CASES:
Civil Rights Update – 11/06/06
The Civil Rights Department at CAIR-Chicago currently has 635 cases documented in which 252 cases are active and are being pursued by department personnel. Below are the cases that were reported to CAIR-Chicago within the last two weeks.
Employment:
- A Muslim woman was terminated from her place of employment after not attending an event due to her religious beliefs. As part of her practice of Islam, the woman does not attend functions where there is dancing. She had informed her direct supervisor of her decision not to attend due to her religious practices before the event, but was terminated the week after the function was held. Her supervisor and the director of the organization told her that her beliefs did not fit with theirs. CAIR-Chicago is representing the woman at a mediation session with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Government:
- Nine more Muslims have reported delays in their citizenship process, having applied for their citizenship and passing all necessary USCIS requirements, but have been waiting for citizenship status due to pending background checks. CAIR-Chicago is incorporating these cases into the Citizenship Delay Project. For more information on the Citizenship Delay Project, please see the action alert below.
- A Muslim man had his driver's license suspended after he went in to update the address on his license. After calling the local Secretary of State's office, he was informed that they were waiting on his file from Springfield and from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). CAIR-Chicago spoke with the Secretary of State’s Office and confirmed that there was no pending investigation by DHS. The client is scheduled for an Identity Verification Meeting, after which his license will be reinstated.
- A Muslim man reported being targeted by a local court officer concerning neighborhood ordinances. The man maintains that other neighbors regularly violate village ordinances and are not issued citations. CAIR-Chicago is investigating the complaint and will take whatever steps necessary to resolve the situation.
- A Muslim man believes he is on a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) watchlist due to several incidents that have occurred to him while traveling. CAIR-Chicago will assist the man in the identity verification process to help him become safe-listed.
- A Muslim man was on his way to Chicago to attend a professional training organized by a company he was recently hired to work with. Upon arriving at O’Hare Airport, the man was detained and questioned for several hours, and then eventually sent back to Canada. CAIR-Chicago is investigating the complaint and will take whatever steps necessary to resolve the situation.
- A Muslim man was partially stopped in a handicap parking space while waiting for his wife to come out of a store. A local police officer approached his vehicle and the man informed the officer that he was waiting for his wife, as the car was still running and he was sitting in the car. When the officer saw the man’s wife, who wears the Muslim headscarf (hijab), he became belligerent toward the man. The officer began to act rudely towards the man and issued him a citation. When the man told the officer it was rude of him to yell, the officer replied “it’s a free country,” and gestured toward the man’s wife. CAIR-Chicago is working to compile similar complaints against officers in that area and will discuss the issue with the area police department.
Prison:
- A Muslim inmate in a local prison is being denied Islamic literature, a prayer rug, and halaal food. CAIR-Chicago is attempting to meet with local religious community leaders in order to have them help facilitate accommodations and religious materials to the Muslim inmates of the prison.
ONGOING PROGRESS:
View reports of ongoing progress for cases with the Civil Rights Department in the "Progress Report" section.
ACTION ALERTS:
Citizenship Delay Project - Religious Discrimination Delays Citizenship Process:
As a joint effort with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), CAIR-Chicago is asking individuals who passed a citizenship examination and have been waiting for over 90 days, or have been waiting for a Green Card for permanent residence for over 90 days to contact us at either or
Travel Free Project - Muslim Americans Detained and Questioned When Traveling Outside of the U.S.:
As part of a potential class action law suit, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and CAIR-Chicago is asking anyone who has been detained and questioned on return to the US at any border crossing (land or airport) to please contact immediately. It is important for Muslims who have faced this type of treatment to join the lawsuit so as to show that it is not an isolated case. The more people that join the case the more strength it will have to force positive changes in how Muslim Americans are treated in the future at our borders.
Also, if you are being consistently delayed, detained, or have otherwise had your rights violated while traveling, contact .
Religious Discrimination at Standardized Testing Centers:
As part of a potential class action law suit, CAIR-Chicago is asking for anyone who has experienced any form of religious discrimination at a testing center to please contact us at . An example of a possible form of religious discrimination includes requiring or requesting the removal of a headscarf for searches, or discriminatory remarks made by employees about Muslims or Islam.
The facts of the above case are as follows:
A Muslim student was asked to remove her headscarf on two separate occasions at a testing center before she began a standardized test required for graduate school. The supervisor and employees of the testing center refused to show her a written copy of the policy requiring Muslim women wearing a headscarf to be searched. A witness at the testing center also observed the employees making discriminatory remarks about Muslims while the victim was taking the test.
Please let us know if you or someone you know have experienced a similar incident and would like to take action to prevent such forms of religious discrimination at standardized testing centers in the future.
 - Election Day is Tuesday, November 7; Get Out the Vote!
November 6, 2006
 - CAIR-Chicago Community Organizer to Appear on Radio Islam
November 6, 2006
- CAIR-Chicago Governmental Relations Coordinator to Appear on Radio Islam
November 7, 2006
- Executive Director to Address London Town Hall
November 10, 2006
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Election Day is Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 7! 
If you are a registered voter in the State of Illinois, don't forget to vote! Polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm on Election Day so you can vote before you go to work, school, or your way home!
For information on your local polling place, visit the Cook County Board of Elections website at: http://www.voterinfonet.com/default.asp for complete information on voting.
What do you need to vote?
Don't know who to vote for?
Click Here for Useful Voting Information!
Dr. John Esposito and Ahmed Rehab Address the University of Chicago
CAIR-Chicago's Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab and Dr. John Esposito addressed a packed house of an estimated 1200 students at the Hutch Commons Hall of the University of Chicago on Wednesday.
Dr. John Esposito is the Director of Georgetown's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and the author of a number of titles on Islam and Muslims.
The lecture, titled 'Understanding Islam in the Modern World II' was the second lecture series hosted by the Office of the Vice President & Dean of Students. The event was cosponsored by the University of Chicago's Muslim Student Association, MESSA, Interfaith Dialogue, and the office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities.
View Event Photos
CAIR-Chicago's Muslim Activist Website
Are you an Undergraduate or Graduate Student Looking to Earn College Credit While Interning at CAIR-Chicago?
CAIR-Chicago, the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), is currently offering 17 new internship opportunities. CAIR is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization. The organization's mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
All internships are unpaid. Internships last one semester and include a 12-hour/week commitment. Applicants should email a resume and cover letter to Dina Rehab, Outreach Coordinator, at: .
APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
clearly indicate which internship opportunity you are applying for in your cover letter. If you are applying for more than one position, please list in order of preference. All fall applications are due by August 28th (please note: fall internships run from August/September through December/January). Applications that do not list the above information will not be processed. If you have any questions, please email all inquiries to . Students interested in receiving class credit, should indicate so in their cover letters. Credit will be arranged during the first week of the academic semester.
Listing of all internships by department:
Civil Rights:
CIVIL RIGHTS INTERN
LAW CLERK (Law Students Only)
Communications:
COMMUNICATIONS INTERN
CHURCH PROJECT INTERN
FAITH CORE ONLINE MAGAZINE INTERN
Governmental Relations:
GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS INTERN
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING LEAD INTERN
VOTER EDUCATION PROJECT INTERN
POLICY RESEARCH INTERN
Operations:
OPERATIONS INTERN
RECEPTIONIST
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INTERN
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT INTERN
Outreach:
PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERN
PUBLIC EDUCATION INTERN
HUMAN RESOURCES INTERN
MUSLIMS CARE PROJECT INTERN
Dina Rehab is CAIR-Chicago's Outreach Coordinator, she can be reached via email at
    
Executive Director
Ahmed Rehab
Civil Rights Coordinator
Christina Abraham
Outreach Coordinator
Dina Rehab
Governmental Relations Coordinator
Sadiya Ahmed
Operations Coordinator
Sabah Ahmed
Communications Coordinator
Sultan Muhammad
Staff Attorney
Heena Musabji, Esq.
Legal Advisor
Maaria Mozaffar
Community Organizer
Haady Taslim
Sensitivity Training Coordinator
Veronica Zapata
Board of Directors
Alif Muhammad
Ahmed Rehab
Hina Sodha, Esq.
Yaser Tabbara, Esq. - Secretary
Mazen Kudaimi, MD - Vice President
Safaa Zarzour, Esq. - President
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