FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CAIR-NJ Welcomes Bias Intimidation Charges Against Woman Who Spat on Muslim Family Outside Jersey City Polling Place

(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., 11/09/2018) – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today welcomed bias intimidation charges against a woman who spat on, threatened, and used racial slurs against a Muslim family outside of a Jersey City polling place on Tuesday.

On November 6, Asmaa Abdalla, 25, a candidate in Tuesday's Jersey City Board of Education election, and two of her family members were harassed, physically threatened and assaulted by Shaquana Jones, 31, who was arrested outside School 24 on Virginia Avenue and charged with bias intimidation, simple assault and terroristic threats.

SEE: Muslim family says woman spit on them outside Jersey City polling place

https://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2018/11/3_muslims_assaulted_outside_a_jersey_city_polling.html

“Hateful acts of violence such as those allegedly carried out in Jersey City on Tuesday cannot be tolerated and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” said CAIR-NJ Executive Director James Sues. “While it is empowering to see young Muslim women like Asmaa Abdalla run for elected office, we are again reminded of the poisonous political atmosphere that divides this country by the treatment she and her family members suffered.”

In a recent report, CAIR noted a 17 percent increase in bias-motivated incidents and a 15 percent increase in hate crimes against American Muslims since Trump took office.

SEE: 2018 Civil Rights Report: Targeted

http://www.islamophobia.org/reports/224-2018-civil-rights-report-targeted.html

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.

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

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 CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Executive Director James Sues, 908-668-5900, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

UPDATE: Additional electoral victories not listed below:

Alturrick Kenney, Essex County Surrogate

Siaka Sherif, Orange Board of Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Several NJ Muslims elected statewide to offices at local and county levels.

(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 11/7/18) – The New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), today recognized the historic string of victories by New Jersey Muslim candidates in Tuesday’s midterm general elections.

CAIR New Jersey congratulates community members on the following electoral victories:

Assad Akhtar, Passaic County Freeholder

Mohamed T. Khairullah, Mayor Prospect Park

Alaa Abdelaziz, Councilman, Paterson

Hazim Yassin, Councilman , Red Bank

Salim Patel, Councilman, City of Passaic

Mussab Ali, Jersey City Board of Education

Mariam F. Khan, Dennis Township Board of Education

Mohammad M. Ramadan, Passaic County Board of Education

Alaa Matari, Councilman, Prospect Park

Adam Chaabane, Woodland Park Board of Education

On election night, CAIR-NJ live tweeted reactions to  general election results. Follow CAIR-NJ’s Twitter feed at @CAIRNJ and Facebook feed at www.facebook.com/CAIRNewJersey and follow hashtags #MuslimsVote and #MyMuslimVote.  Many CAIR chapters have also posted reactions to local and national election results using their social media channels.

“We offer congratulations to the Muslim candidates of New Jersey, many of whom have run for public office for the first time,” said CAIR New Jersey Executive Director James Sues. “Their victories reflect the diversity and spirit of inclusiveness that characterize the state of New Jersey and the growing positive role of American Muslims in our society.” 

Next week, CAIR and Jetpac will release a joint report surveying successful campaigns and organizing strategies employed by American Muslim candidates. Its findings include a trend that American Muslim candidates and campaigns prioritized broad social justice-oriented policies such as equitable housing, healthcare, and employment and did so by working across traditional political boundaries and through various levels of office. 

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. 

La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua. 

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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Government Affairs Director Jay Rehman, 908-668-5900, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

Please support your community by participating in the

 

Muslim Advocacy Day

 

December 17, 2018 – 10 am to 5 pm

The New Jersey State House, 125 W State St., Trenton, NJ 08608

 

On Monday December 17, 2018 representatives of New Jersey’s Muslim Community are gathering in our state’s capital to meet with our elected officials.  The objectives of this meeting are:

• To strengthen or establish Muslim community relationships with State Assembly and State Senators and their staff
• To educate state elected officials and their staff about Muslim civil liberties concerns and proposed solutions
• To encourage state elected officials to support key policies that are important to New Jersey’s Muslim community

We encourage you to join the Delegation of New Jersey Muslims to advocate on behalf of the entire community.  As a Delegate you will meet with your state legislators and encourage them to support the following proposed bills:

• A0461 - This bill requires adoption agency, or court, to maintain a child’s religious upbringing when placing child in adoption or foster care.
• A3077 - This bill prohibits disclosure of religious affiliation information by State or local government agencies to the federal government in an effort to prevent a possible religious registry.
• A1014 - This bill amends the current “Law Against Discrimination” and makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone if they have been a victim of a crime. For example: You can’t be turned down for a job just because you took action against a former employer.
• Proposed Bill - This proposed legislation would allow new mosques that have been approved by zoning boards to continue with building plans even if the zoning rules are changed.

TO REGISTER AS A DELEGATE PLEASE GO TO: https://goo.gl/forms/R7mx1Xgb2HqnQm542

Registration Deadline: November 30, 2018

 

Text your Zip Code to 520-200-2223. You’ll get a text back with the names and numbers of your federal and state reps and senators.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ, 10/31/18) -- The New York and New Jersey chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY and CAIR-NJ), state chapters of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights group, today announced the settlement of a federal court case challenging U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) warrantless and unconstitutional seizure of an American Muslim U.S. citizen’s cell phone.

Rejhane Lazoja, a 39-year-old woman residing in Staten Island, N.Y., had her phone taken when she landed at Newark Liberty International Airport earlier this year.  CBP held Lazoja’s iPhone 6S Plus and SIM card for 130 days, never explaining why they were taken. Under this groundbreaking settlement, CBP agrees to delete all data copied from Lazoja’s iPhone.

SEE: Feds took woman’s iPhone at border, she sued, now they agree to delete data

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/10/feds-agree-to-delete-data-seized-off-womans-iphone-during-border-search/

Numerous lawsuits have challenged CBP’s deletion of data at the border, but this settlement is the first in the country to secure the deletion of illegally-seized data. Under the agreement, CBP did not admit any wrongdoing.  The case was also novel for proceeding under rule 41(g) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, a provision for recovering property unlawfully seized by federal authorities. The case appears to be the first in the country to use rule 41(g) secure the deletion of electronic information that was unlawfully seized at the border. It also appears to be the first such settlement since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in U.S. v. Carpenter, striking down warrantless seizure of cellphone location data.