2-year-old’s mother is stuck in Egypt, unable to get to her dying son
MEDIA ADVISORY
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 12/14/18) — At 11 a.m. PST Monday, Dec. 17, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Sacramento Valley office (CAIR-SV), is hosting a news conference with Ali Hassan of Stockton, the father of a child on life support whose mother is stuck in Egypt due to the Trump administration’s “Muslim Ban 3.0.”
Hassan’s son, Abdullah, 2, is at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland due to a genetic brain condition that has continued to worsen. Abdullah was brought by his father to the United States for medical treatment a few months ago.
Abdullah’s mother, Shaima Swileh, is a Yemeni national who currently lives in Egypt. She is unable to come to the United States to be with her ailing child and her husband because of the Muslim Ban. She has applied for a waiver, but it is still pending despite her child’s life being in the balance.
Doctors have indicated Abdullah’s body may not be able to withstand life support for much longer, meaning time is running out for his mother who hasn’t seen or held her child since he left for treatment.
CAIR-SV plans to file a writ of mandamus on the mother’s behalf to ask the courts to force the government to decide and expedite their response to the mother’s request for a ban waiver.
“Our hearts are breaking for this family,” said CAIR-SV Civil Rights Attorney Saad Sweilem. “The loss of a child is something no parent should experience, but not being able to be there in your child’s last moments is unfathomably cruel.
“From the crisis at our border to the Muslim Ban, this administration is doing everything in its power to undermine immigrants’ rights and uphold a xenophobic agenda that tears families apart.”
WHAT: CAIR-SV News Conference on local Muslim Ban case, featuring Ali Hassan, the father of a child on life support
WHEN: 11 a.m. PST on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.
WHERE: CAIR-Sacramento Valley Headquarters, 1122 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815
CONTACT: CAIR-SV Communications Manager Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi, 916-441-6269, kkipling@cair.com
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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