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 CAIR-LA is grateful to Entertainment Night sponsor,
Amana Mutual Funds,
for its generous support of the event. www.amanafunds.com
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600 Turn Out for CAIR-LA Entertainment Night for Civil Rights
 (ANAHEIM, 6/11/08) -- Some 600 people turned out on Saturday for the 4th Annual Entertainment Night for Civil Rights hosted by the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) at the Heritage Forum, Anaheim.
CAIR-LA President Fawad Yacoob welcomed attendees to an evening of clean, fun entertainment that offered the Southern California Muslim community a chance to relax and enjoy comedy and other performances while supporting CAIR's civil rights work. Comedians Preacher Moss, Azeem, Omar Regan, and Joe Recca offered a humorous look at the day-to-day challenges many Muslims face living in the U.S. post-9/11. The evening also featured a performance by turntablist Kidragon, and was emceed by Sam Pierstorff, the poet laureate of Modesto.
CAIR honored three local young people with Muslim Youth  Activism Awards for their outstanding efforts in civil, social and religious activism. The award recipients are: Adel Syed, an incoming University of California, Davis student and a resident of Rowland Heights; and Nada and Huda Kaoud, California State University San Bernardino students and residents of Moreno Valley.
Also recognized were journalists Samir and Pat Twair and
young filmmaker Lena Khan for their extraordinary efforts in building bridges and correcting stereotypes about Muslim- and Arab-Americans.
SEE: "A Land Called Paradise"
The night also included brief remarks by CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush on the status of Muslim civil rights in the U.S. Ayloush discussed the recent Southern California Muslims' trip to Manzanar, which was the first of 10 internment camps that held Japanese-Americans during World War II. A two-minute trailer on the trip was shown too.
 "It is easy to feel disheartened during difficult times, especially for Muslims who endure continued Islamophobia and challenges to their civil rights," said Ayloush, commenting on the choice to combine comedy and civil rights. "Such an entertainment night helps lift the Muslim community's spirits and boosts its morale."
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.
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Congress Asked to Probe Surveillance of California Muslims
(LOS ANGELES, CA, 5/28/08) -- A coalition of Muslim and civil liberties organizations today called on Congress to conduct a full and impartial investigation of reports that surveillance records on Muslim communities and mosques in California were illegally obtained and disseminated by a group operating out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
News reports have indicated that the group of military reservists and law enforcement officers at Camp Pendleton stole the data from a federal surveillance program that monitored mosques in Southern California. The group reportedly took advantage of faults in the security system at the Strategic Technical Operations Center at Camp Pendleton and passed secret files to local law enforcement agencies. Some of this information was also allegedly passed on to defense contractors in exchange for favors.
SEE: Records Detail Security Failure in Base File Theft (San Diego Union-Tribune)
The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-California), the ACLU of Southern California, the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California sent a letter to the Committees on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Wednesday expressing concerns over the possible civil rights violations posed by the alleged monitoring of U.S. citizens on the basis of religious affiliation.
The letter stated in part:
"Holding the entire American Muslim community suspect not only threatens civil liberties and raises the specter of unconstitutional religious profiling, but undermines public safety by eroding that community's trust in law enforcement. The San Diego breach revealed not only flawed security, but unchecked surveillance and monitoring programs that must be subjected to Congressional oversight."
SEE: Joint ACLU, CAIR, and Shura Council Letter to Congress
"Based on news reports, it appears that a group working out of the Camp Pendleton Marine base either conducted or had access to surveillance information about Muslim communities in Southern California," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR Greater Los Angeles.
Ayloush added: "Who approved this surveillance and who carried it out? Who provided the oversight or legal justification for spying on law-abiding U.S. citizens and institutions? Such alleged abuses not only jeopardize innocent civilians' First Amendment rights, but also harm national security."
Last year, Los Angeles Police Department alarmed Muslim and civil rights groups when it announced plans to 'map' Muslims.
SEE: LAPD Plan Draws Ire from Muslims (USA Today)
Edgar Hopida, public relations director of CAIR San Diego held similar concerns, "These types of actions only encourage further unwarranted suspicion of the American Muslim community."
Shakeel Syed, the executive director of Shura Council said: "This confirms our fears that mosques and Muslim community organizations in Southern California have been targeted for government surveillance based solely on their ethnicity and religion."
"This incident shows the danger posed by government programs that amass large amounts of data on private individuals' lawful activity, and do so without adequate safeguards to protect that sensitive information," said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California. "The fact that these programs are shrouded in secrecy not only allows the government to act with impunity, but also prevents the innocent citizens from knowing whether their personal information has been shared, stolen or sold."
More than a year ago, several organizations, including CAIR-California and the Shura Council, filed a public records request for documents relating to FBI surveillance of their lawful activities.
After the ACLU of Southern California filed a lawsuit last year seeking responses to the requests, the government produced more than 100 pages of documents for some of the plaintiffs. The suit remains in litigation.
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(ANAHEIM, CA, 5/14/08) - On Saturday, May 10, a team of Southern California Muslims joined the "Field of Dreams" OC AIDS Walk to help raise awareness of the disease and funds needed to provide services to AIDS patients and their families.
The team, called "Muslims Care," was sponsored by the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) in cooperation with the Islamic Institute of Orange County (IIOC), the Orange County Islamic Foundation (OCIF), and the Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC).
The Muslim team included youth, activists and community leaders such as Shaykh Mohammed Faqih, the imam of IIOC. "The participation of the Muslim team in the OC AIDS Walk reaffirms that Muslims care about and want to help effect a positive change in their communities," Faqih said.
The opening ceremony featured prayers offered by Muslim, Christian and Native American representatives. CAIR-LA President Fawad Yacoob prayed for health, ease and a cure for those battling AIDS.
Muslim participation in the event is part of CAIR's fourth annual summer-long "Muslims Care" campaign designed to encourage volunteerism in the American Muslim community.
"The goal of the Muslims Care campaign is to encourage volunteerism and the spirit of giving in the American Muslim community," Yacoob said. "This year marks the first time a Muslim team participated in the OC AIDS Walk, and we hope to further increase participation and donations to this honorable cause in the coming years."
More than 8,000 people participated in the annual walk and organizers expected to raise at least $750,000.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.
CONTACT: CAIR-LA Communications Coordinator Munira Syeda, Tel: 714-776-1847, E-Mail:
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations California Chapter (CAIR-CA) is hosting its 4th Annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) at our State Capitol from August 14 through 17 of 2008. We are selecting 35 delegates in California to participate in a weekend rigorous training to become the leaders of tomorrow. Eligible candidates must be High School Sophomores, Juniors, or Seniors; College students of High School age will be considered.
For more informaton about the conference please contact your local CAIR chapter.
To apply for The Muslim youth Leadership Program Down load the below application and follow the directions.
Applications are due June 27, 2008. Please fill out the application and email it to
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If, for any reason, you need to fill out the application by hand, please mail it to your local CAIR-CA office.
Be sure to save your work as you go on!
< Click here to download application >
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Nomination for Muslim Youth Activism Award:
(Please copy, fill out and send back to CAIR-LA)
Your Information
Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Nominee Information
Name:
Email Address:
School:
Age:
Phone Number:
Nominee Accomplishments/Achievements/Volunteer Efforts:
(Please submit a few lines on why you think your nominee deserves this award.)
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