CAIR Asks AG Holder to Help Muslim Citizens Barred from U.S.Letter to attorney general outlines cases of citizens not allowed to return home

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/16/10) -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today released a letter it sent to Attorney General Eric Holder calling for the return to the United States of American Muslim citizens barred from returning home from trips overseas and subjected to FBI pressure tactics that are being called a form of "extraordinary rendition."

["Extraordinary rendition" is the illegal practice of handing suspects to foreign governments knowing they will face harsh treatment or even torture during interrogations.]

The New York Times today profiled an American Muslim from Virginia who is currently in legal limbo in Egypt after being subjected to repeated FBI interrogations and placed on a no-fly list.
SEE: American Man in Limbo on No-Fly List (NY Times)In his letter to Holder, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad described the pressure exerted on the Virginia Muslim and on others in similar circumstances:

"His passport was confiscated and FBI agents have subjected him to at least eight interrogations, despite assertion of his constitutional right to remain silent as advised by his attorney. He has been explicitly told that he is on the no-fly list, and he has been pressured to submit to a polygraph test."After a polygraph test on June 8, he was allegedly told by an agent that, based on his answers, he would 'never see the United States or your family again' unless he 'rethought' his answers. Subsequently, he says he has been pressured by the FBI to spy on the American Muslim community when and if he is allowed to return to the United States.

"...He was informed that despite being cleared to travel, he cannot use American or Canadian airspace. When he asked how he could return to the United States without being able to board a plane, he was allegedly informed that "Christopher Columbus did not ride on a plane" to come to America...

"We are concerned that FBI interrogations of American citizens in a condition of forced exile are being conducted without due process and using techniques that amount to a form of 'rendition.'
"The use of apparently illegal pressure tactics flies in the face of President Obama's commitment to abandon unconstitutional policies instituted under the previous administration.

"If the FBI wishes to question American citizens, they should be allowed to return to the United States where they will be able to maintain their constitutional rights free of threats or intimidation."We are also deeply concerned that this apparent targeting of American Muslims not only infringes on constitutional rights, but also sends the message that Muslims are second class citizens and that the due process of law does not apply to them."I therefore respectfully request that your office investigate these incidents and take whatever remedial actions are necessary based on the results of that investigation. I would also request that the U.S. Department of Justice allow all American citizens to return to the United States, and, if there are any reasons to charge or investigate particular individuals, to do so once they are in their country of birth.

"American Muslims are firmly committed to our nation's safety and security. We applaud your efforts to protect America while defending the rights of all citizens, regardless of religion, ethnicity or national origin."

SEE: CAIR Letter to Attorney General Holder
At CAIR's news conference today on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Muslim's 19-year-old brother described how he too was stopped by the FBI in Egypt, faced repeated FBI interrogations, was allegedly interrogated by a man claiming to be with the "CIA," and was blindfolded and chained to a wall in an Egyptian police facility for several days. During his detention, he says he was assaulted and subjected to sleep deprivation.
SEE: Statement of Yusuf WehelieAt the news conference, CAIR outlined similar current cases involving American Muslim citizens.
SEE: Cases of American Muslim Barred from Returning to U.S.More U.S. Muslims Facing Problems in Return from Abroad (Wash. Post)
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its 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.

CAIR rallies Muslims to pray Friday for end to oil spill - The Hill's E2-Wire

CAIR rallies Muslims to pray Friday for end to oil spill - The Hill's E2-Wire

Nihad Awad: U.S. Muslims to Pray for End to Gulf Oil Spill

Americans of all faiths asked to join nationwide spiritual efforts

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/9/10) -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on mosques and other houses of worship across the nation to offer prayers for an end to the Gulf oil spill and the environmental disaster it is causing.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging prayer leaders (imams) in the nation's more than 2,000 mosques to use sermons at congregational prayers this Friday to offer special supplications for a speedy end to the oil spill crisis.

Mosque officials are also being asked to encourage community members to volunteer to assist in Gulf Coast relief efforts as part of CAIR's ongoing "Muslims Care" volunteerism initiative.
CAIR is requesting that religious leaders of other faiths offer similar prayers and supplications based on their own traditions.

"Engineers, officials and residents of the Gulf Coast are doing their best to mitigate this environmental disaster and people of faith must also do what they can to seek divine intervention when human efforts fall short," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Along with the prayers, we ask American Muslims to volunteer their time and talents to assist in the massive clean up effort."

He cited the Quran, Islam's revealed text, which states: "O you who have attained to faith! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: for, behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity." (2:153)

Awad said CAIR chapters around the nation will encourage interfaith partners to join the spiritual effort along with local mosques.
"This nationwide spiritual effort could have the added benefit of strengthening bonds between Americans of all faiths," said Awad.

SEE: Calif. Muslim, Jewish Leaders Discuss Shared Values

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its 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.

NIHAD AWAD OFFERS WAYS TO CHALLENGE ISLAMOPHOBIA

Nihad Awad spoke at recent OIC conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/7/10) -- Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently took part in a conference hosted by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Brazil, at which he discussed ways to reverse the rising level of Islamophobia in Western societies.

The 17th Session of the Committee for the Coordination of Joint Islamic Action, held last week in Sao Paulo, was convened by OIC Secretary General Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and attended by representatives from some 40 nations. Brazilian government officials also took part in the conference.

In a panel discussion on Islamophobia and empowerment of Muslim communities in the West, Awad outlined the primary sources of Islamophobic rhetoric, described how Islamophobes seek to marginalize Muslims and demonize Islam, and focused on education and civic engagement as the most productive ways to challenge growing anti-Islam sentiment.

"Our research indicates that knowledge about Islam and Muslims is at a low level in the West, and that lower levels of knowledge correlate with increased anti-Islam prejudice," said Awad. "Education and engagement are key to challenging the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia."

The OIC is the second largest world inter-governmental organization after the United Nations and serves as the collective voice of the Muslim world. Its membership currently includes 57 Muslim-majority nations.