The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, on March 29 thanked Sens. Durbin (D-IL) and Graham (R-SC) for holding a hearing titled “Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims” in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights.
In a written statement submitted to the subcommittee, CAIR outlined a number of key civil liberties concerns confronting American Muslims. It identified four core threats to the free exercise of the Islamic faith in America: 1) legal, rhetorical and violent attacks on places of worship, 2) concerns about the use of Muslim-bashers as law enforcement trainers; 3) Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and other violent extremists; 4) state-level legislation and laws that can move our nation toward state-sanctioned discrimination.
“Subcommittee Chairman Durbin demonstrates true leadership in seeking to reinforce the rights of a minority faith,” said CAIR National Legislative Director Corey Saylor. “The hearing rebuts the violent extremists who claim Islam cannot get fair treatment in America.”
Saylor added that the facts produced by this hearing also refute yet another unsubstantiated claim by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who said the hearing may, “create the illusion that there’s a violation of civil rights of Muslims in this country. It’s absolutely untrue, and to me it makes no sense.”