Action Alert "Ask Your Representative to Counter Anti-Muslim Sentiment"

Ask Your Representative to Counter Anti-Muslim Sentiment

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/10/2011) –- CAIR  today called on all people of conscience to contact their elected representatives to ask that they sign a resolution asking the government to take steps to counter anti-Muslim sentiment in America.

In a statement, CAIR said:

"Last year, Oklahoma voters passed a law directly targeting the Islamic faith. In Tennessee, a bill now in the state legislature would effectively make it illegal to be Muslim in that state. A video produced by CAIR-LA recently highlighted the vicious verbal attacks leveled at every day Muslims. Today, we saw the halls of Congress used to legitimize Rep. Peter King’s anti-Muslim positions.

"It is time Congress came out clearly in favor of American pluralism. The politics of fear must be rejected."

The resolution, introduced in the U.S House of Representatives by Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Andre Carson (D-IN), and Hansen Clarke (D-MI), praises the contributions of American Muslims to our nation and expresses the sense of the House that the federal government should take steps to counter the growth in anti-Muslim sentiments.
 
Immediate actions requested:
1) Contact your elected representatives, through: http://www.congress.org/

On the right-hand side of the page, enter your ZIP code. On the resulting page, click on the names of your elected representatives. Click the "contact" tab on the resulting page for your officials' phone numbers.

You may also contact the Capitol Hill Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (have your ZIP code ready).

Call your elected representative to sign the resolution on countering anti-Muslim sentiment in America. Tell them they can contact the office of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) to do so.

2) Put your cell phone to good use. Call your friends and family members and ensure that they contact their elected officials. Act as a facilitator. You can enter their ZIP code into the congress.orgwebsite and help them get the phones numbers they need to call.

Can You Do These Two Things?

As-salaamu 'alaikum (Peace to you),

“We have too many mosques in this country,” said Rep. Peter King (R-NY) in 2007.

By now you’ve probably heard about the hearings that Congressman King, as chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, has pledged to hold on “the extent of radicalization in the American Muslim community.”

Yesterday he held the first one, and many of your concerns that the hearing would perpetuate stereotypes and fear were borne out. However, we were heartened by the strong support from other members of Congress and witnesses who challenged the biased premise of the hearings.

“There is no redeeming factual information that we’re hearing today. It has already been tainted, this hearing,” declared Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) during the hearing. “It has already been classified as an effort to demonize a whole broad base of human beings.”

Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) said in an interview: "I'll be damned if I'm going to stay quiet and not say something. We have to show people that as Americans, we're not going to put up with this kind of nonsense."

Representatives Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Laura Richardson (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Andre Carson (D-IN), John Dingell (D-MI), and others also spoke up for the Muslim community and challenged the misinformation and slanted perspective that Rep. King and some of his colleagues put forward.

Today I am asking you to do two things.

The first is to contact those who stood up for the Muslim community yesterday and thank them of their support. [Clickhere for their contact information.]

I’m also asking you to donate to CAIR. You may have noticed that CAIR was singled out for attacks by Rep. King and others at the hearing yesterday. We believe this is because for years CAIR has been very visible in challenging King’s anti-Muslim statements and false allegations about our community.

CAIR is in the front line fighting for you. The ferocious attacks on CAIR are a testament to our effectiveness, and we are proud of our service to the American Muslim community and defense of the Constitution.

(CAIR submitted written testimony for the hearing, which refutes the false information King put forward about American Muslims and about CAIR. You can read our testimony here. Also watch C-SPAN video of our news conference held the day before the hearing.)

We will not allow bigots to achieve their goal of making Islamophobia mainstream. As a community, we will stay united and strong.

Please thank the courageous members of Congress who stood up to Rep. King’s modern day witch hunt against American Muslims, and show your support for CAIR so we can continue to defend Islam and the American Muslim community.
This was only the first in a series of such biased hearings and we need your support to keep up the challenge.

Homeland Security Committee Hearings - Follow Up

As Imam Magid noted in today's khutbah, the Congressional Homeland Security Committee hearings yesterday have generated much comment, and many in the community have asked how they can make their voices heard.

We therefore encourage all ADAMS members, families and friends, to contact your Congressional Members, and those other Members who testified or spoke at the Hearings yesterday in support of otherwise for our Community.

We urge all ADAMS members to send a message to the following Congress Members, by phone or e-mail, using this model (but putting it into your own words).  

Simply Google the name of each to get an online e-mail form, or the telephone number of their office in Washington: 

Congressman Keith Ellison

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Congressman John Dingell

Congressman Bennie Thompson

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez

Suggested message:

Dear Congressman (or Congresswoman) XXXX:

As a Muslim-American living in your Northern Virginia, I appreciate your remarks at the Homeland Security Hearings on Thursday, and am grateful for the support you have given to Muslims throughout our great nation.   I applaud you for having the courage to stand up for what is right - and for what drew my family and millions of other citizens to come to America over the past centuries: freedom and democracy.  I was very sorry the other Members of the Committee chose not to recognize that our own District in Virginia includes one of the most progressive and highly cooperative Muslim organizations in America - the All Dulles Areas Muslim Society (ADAMS), which has continually stood up against any radical activities, and has done many outreach events with local police and with the FBI.  This is exactly what Congressman King claims he wants to promote, but failed to mention.    Please know we deeply appreciate your courageous and highly principled stand against those who would use fear to try to win political support from those who know little if anything at all about Islam.  

Message to Congressman Frank Wolf:

Dear Congressman Wolf:

As a Muslim-American living in your District, I appreciate your remarks at the Homeland Security Hearings on Thursday, and am grateful for the support you have given to Muslims in Bosnia, Sudan, etc.  While I disagree with your comments about CAIR, I respect your right to challenge them.  But I remind you that as Sheriff Baca said, CAIR has never been charged with any criminal offense.  Most important, I am sorry you did not mention that your District includes one of the most progressive and highly cooperative Muslim organizations in America - the All Dulles Areas Muslim Society (ADAMS).   Just today, ADAMS has again condemned any such extremism in our Friday prayer services.  ADAMS has continually stood up against any radical activities, and has done many events with local police and with the FBI.  This is exactly what Congressman King claims he wants to promote, and I am sorry that you did not mention this in your testimony.    I am also sorry you forgot to mention that the various terror related incidents in Virginia incidents like the Ashburn Metro bomber or the 5 youths who went to Pakistan, were all reported to the FBI by fellow Muslims.   This was a major oversight and I hope you will be able to issue a press statement pointing out the Muslim Community cooperation that your District has shown so many times in the past.

Message to Congressman Peter King

Dear Congressman King:

As a Muslim-American living in Virginia, I understand your concern for investigating any threats to our country via the Homeland Security Hearings on Thursday, and am grateful for the support you had given to Muslims in your own District in the past.  I disagree with your comments but I respect your right to challenge CAIR, though I remind you that as Sheriff Baca said, CAIR has never been charged with any criminal offense.  Most important, I am sorry you had overlooked that Congressman Wolf's District in Virginia includes one of the most progressive and highly cooperative Muslim organizations in America - the All Dulles Areas Muslim Society (ADAMS), which has loudly opposed any radical activities, and has done many events with local police and even the FBI.  This is exactly what your Committee claims to want to promote, and I am puzzled you did not mention this in the Hearing, or invite anyone from ADAMS to participate as a witness.    I am also sorry you forgot that the various terror related incidents in Virginia (like the Ashburn Metro bomber or the 5 youths who went to Pakistan) were all reported to the FBI by fellow Muslims.   This was a major oversight and I hope you will be able to issue a press statement pointing out the Muslim Community cooperation that has been shown so many times in the past.

Please remember to be polite and courteous in any dealings with Congress, and to show the proper respect even if we disagree with the positions a Member may have taken.

Please do not allow our Community to be marginalized by apathy!   We must make ourselves heard - and can only do that it every member of our community is willing to take time to voice our opinions! 

If these Congress Members receive 1000 messages, they WILL listen - and they WILL take us seriously.