Assalaamu Alaikum,
Insha’Allah you are well.
My name is Ammad Rafiqi, I am the Civil Rights and Legal Services Coordinator at CAIR-SFBA. As part of the Legal Services team at CAIR-SFBA, I provide counsel and services to clients facing religious discrimination, including denial of accommodation at work or in public spaces and law enforcement harassment.
I am excited to share that your Legal Department at CAIR-SFBA is bigger than ever, with four attorneys, two each working on civil rights and immigration. This is in addition to our Executive Director and a Muslim Ban Legal Fellow.
On the civil rights side, we address a range of issues facing the American Muslim community. In immigration, our attorneys provide direct legal services and representation to immigrant communities and their families. With this growing team, CAIR-SFBA provided legal services to over 450 Muslims across the region last year.
One of our significant undertakings last year was suing the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) in an effort to obtain a white paper detailing the FBI’s interest in the SFPD returning to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. A closer reading of the white paper showed that the FBI admits to the presence of significant conflicts between its own need for secrecy and classified information and what is expected of SFPD officers by department rules and city policies. These ground breaking revelations were a result of political advocacy and the lawsuit filed by CAIR-SFBA and our partner organizations.
More personally for me, as a sports fan and supporter of Muslim athletes, it was critical that in September CAIR-SFBA filed a complaint with Air Canada on behalf of 12-year old Fatima Abdelrahman, who was forced to remove her hijab while waiting in line to board her flight for her squash tournament. She requested a private screening area, but Air Canada employees denied this request. This is just one example of the discriminatory acts happening to Muslims while travelling.
Our legal efforts continued with a Southwest complaint where UC Berkeley student Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was kicked off a Southwest flight and turned to law enforcement for questioning after speaking to his uncle on the phone in Arabic. The case is scheduled for trial next month.
On the immigration side, last year we grew when we added a second attorney, Amir Naim. His experience has ensured we remain on the cutting edge of empowering community members by helping them achieve independence, security, and the ability to fully participate in American society. Our attorneys handled over 300 immigration matters including naturalization and Green Card applications, asylum cases, and writs of mandamus filings. The team also hosted monthly citizenship clinics in across the region, including in Fremont, Mill Valley, Oakland, Richmond, and Santa Clara.
Beyond that, we believe information is power, which is why we published our 2019 Bullying Report. In the fourth report of its kind, 40% of all respondents reported being made fun of, verbally insulted or abused for being Muslim in 2019 as compared to 53% in 2017, a decrease of 13%. This encouraging decline has partly been as result of working on bullying prevention for eight years by facilitating dozens of workshops, meeting with schools, and passing legislation like the Safe Place to Learn Act, and every bit makes a difference.
This paired with regular Know Your Rights workshops at masajid and for community organizations training attendees on their rights in a variety of circumstances ensure that our legal work is holistic. We want to be sure that we are passing laws and empowering each other to protect ourselves, before a civil rights violation happens.
As we settle in 2020, and plan to address the threat of a new Muslim Ban, we need your support to sustain our work. Your committed monthly contribution, of $30, $50, $100, or any amount you can afford, ensures we can keep on fighting, day in and day out, no matter what comes our way.
Become a Champion of Justice by signing up today, to give each month!
In addition to our website, you can sign up to donate monthly through your:
· Employer’s matching program
· Direct bank withdrawal. Email info@sfba.cair.com for our account details
Thank you for your commitment to civil rights and civic engagement.
Best,
Ammad Rafiqi, Esq.
Civil Rights & Legal Services Coordinator