Dec 16 - Local Muslim leaders gathered last Friday to hold a community discussion with Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal

We raised several important points with Senator Blumenthal:

• Opposing Trump cabinet appointments who have made racist and Islamophobic remarks like Sen. Jeff Sessions (Attorney General), Ben Carson (Housing and Urban Development) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (Central Intel. Agency)
• Opposing a resurrection of NSEERs or any form of Muslim registry
• Safe guarding mosques by acquiring funds from the Dept. of Homeland Security for cameras and other security systems
• Protecting Syrian civilians who are being killed by the Asaad regime and Russian forces

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Jun 19 - Young Muslims react to Orlando

CAIR-CT Board Member Ahmed Ouda was interviewed by Fox61 on how Muslim youth are being impacted by the shooting in Orlando. "As Muslims we have an obligation to stand with anybody who faced hate crimes, whether they're gay or trans at the end of the day we are all allies," said Ouda.

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Jun 12 - CAIR-CT Organizes Muslim Response to Orlando Shootings

CAIR-CT issued a statement shortly after the horrific events in Orlando: "Muslims across Connecticut join their fellow Americans in grief and anger to condemn Sunday's mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando," said Farhan Memon Chairman of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Our hearts are broken over this tragedy and we offer our sincere condolences and prayers to the victims and their families.

CAIR-CT's full statement can be found here.

May 13 - CAIR-CT Responds to Nigerian School Girls kidnapping

Muslim Women Take Stand Against Nigeria Kidnapping: In a statement by phone, Connecticut Council of American-Islamic Relations Director Mongi Dhaouadi said his organization is outraged and dismayed by the actions of Boko Haram. "This cult-like group is wreaking havoc with their inhumane and certainly un-Islamic actions," said Dhaouadi, who's been the director of the grass-roots civil rights organization for three years. "We call on the Nigerian government and the international community to do what it can to bring these innocent girls back to their families," he said.

• A Response to the Question: Why Aren't Muslims Condemning Boko Haram?" (Time)
• Right-Wing Media Try to Make Boko Haram the New Face of Islam
  Conservative media have largely ignored these outspoken Muslim scholars in favor of voices like Hirsi Ali's that help them demonize the entire Muslim faith by using the actions of a marginalized terrorist group.
• Ann Coulter's Plan to Mock 'Bring Back Our Girls' Backfires
• Megyn Kelly Wonders If Muslim Condemnation of Boko Haram Is Just 'Cover'

Mar 29 - More than 250 activists from across the Northeast region attended the Mobilizing in Defense of Our Rights (MDOR) Conference, entitled "One Nation Under Surveillance". Chris Hedges' key note address, has so far seen more than 14 thousand hits on Youtube.

In 2012, CAIR-CT lead the formation of a state wide coalition in opposition of the indefinite detention provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act. The coalition brought together several grass-roots organizations and civil rights and civil liberties groups like NAACP-Connecticut, ACLU-CT, and United Action-Connecticut. Since then, the coalition organized educational forums, rallies and marches, press conferences, and a yearly conference calling on the government and lawmakers to reverse the indefinite detention provision. The coalition took on several other high profile issues, like the NYPD spying on Muslims, and the NSA broad data collections on Americans. This year's conference, marks a new phase of the coalition which changed its name to MDOR to reflect the expansion of its mission to defending civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans.

Mar 17 - The Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CT) today welcomed the recognition of Muslim school holidays by the New London Board of Education.

In its school calendar for the year 2014-2015, the New London Board of Education, listed religious holidays include Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. [NOTE: Eid al-Fitr, which comes at the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan, is the first of the two major Muslim holidays. The second holiday, Eid al-Adha (EED-al-ODD-ha), comes at the end of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca.]

"While school is in session on the following dates, teachers are asked to be mindful of these religious holidays and to refrain from scheduling tests or major activities on these dates. Also, in accordance with Board policy, students will be excused from school if they observe these holidays."

"We welcome the inclusion of Islamic holidays in the school calendar because it will serve to enhance the learning environment for Muslim students," said CAIR-CT Executive Director, Mongi Dhaouadi.

CAIR offers a booklet, called "An Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," designed to help school officials provide a positive learning environment for Muslim students.

Feb 28 - Faith Matters: Don’t let acts of terror cloud judgment

In spite of having just completed yet another Black History Month celebration, it is an unfortunate reality of life that more Americans know the name Dzhokar Tsarnaev than those who know the name Crispus Attucks.

Dec 11 - A note from Executive Director, Mongi Dhaoudi:

On behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Connecticut (CAIR-CT), it is my pleasure to invite you to our 9th annual banquet. The event will take place on Sunday, December 22, 2013 at the West Hartford Conference Center (Town Hall), 50 Main Street, West Hartford CT, and promises to be both inspiring and motivating.

The theme of our 9th annual banquet, Faith in Freedom, speaks to the resilience of our community and our continued involvement in the fight to uphold justice for all. Our keynote speaker will be attorney Norm Pattis, who will speak on “Islamophobia – 3 Faces of the New Racism”. We will also be joined by Imam Siraj Wahhaj from Masjid At-Taqwa in New York, Susan Campbell of the Hartford Courant, and attorney Hassan Shibly, the Executive Director of CAIR-Florida. Other invited speakers include Senator Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, and Congressman Larson.

As in past years, we anticipate the banquet to be a sold out event. We are asking you to show support for CAIR’s important work by purchasing a table for 10 for $500. This will also include acknowledgement in our program, or individual tickets at $55 each. Other sponsorship opportunities are also available.

I hope you can join us for this great event. Please fill out the form online to secure your table or ticket and show your generous support for CAIR.

Oct 16 - The Council on American Islamic-Relations, Connecticut office (CAIR-CT) co-sponsored a state-wide town hall meeting on racial profiling that took place at the state capital. The meeting was initiated by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) and attracted other commissions and major civil rights and civil liberty groups. The meeting was intended to update the public on the work of the advisory committee that was entrusted by the legislators to oversee and advise on the implementation of the new anti-racial profiling law that went into full effect October 1st, 2013. CAIR-CT has been advocating on behalf of the Muslim community to ensure religious profiling is explicitly banned in the new law, and that the collection of data by police officers during traffic stops include categories that will help track violations based on religion. Mongi Dhaouadi, Executive Director of CAIR-CT, one of the panelists during the meeting, said "we will continue to monitor the implementation of the law and the collection of the data, and work closely with our partners to improve it; something we were not able to do before."

Sep 30 - Thousands of American Muslims will soon travel to take part in religious observances associated with the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, taking place in mid-October. Because of past concerns about "flying while Muslim" airport profiling incidents, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today urged American Muslims taking part in this year's pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) to be aware of their legal rights and responsibilities as citizens and travelers when leaving from or returning to the United States.

Sep 10 - Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director of CAIR-CT, visited the University of Connecticut and delivered a lecture on the state of civil rights and civil liberties of Muslims in a post 9/11 America, with a focus on Muslims in Connecticut. More than 150 students attended the lecture to learn how the tragic events of 9/11 opened the flood gate of Islamophobia and backlash that affected the community in a profound way. Mr. Dhaouadi spoke on the need for more dialogue and discussion and said “we welcome the opportunity to expose the challenges that our community is facing and to educate the future leaders of our country on the rising tide of Islamophobia and its danger to our society.” After the presentation, several students asked follow up questions and shared incidents of hate or discrimination that they encountered themselves. Mr. Dhaouadi provided copies of “Know Your Rights” and “Islamophobia” pocket books, two documents that empower readers with practical knowledge and tools to fight back hate and discrimination.

Jul 18 - CAIR-CT, the Council on American Islamic Relations - Connecticut, joined several civil rights and civil liberties organizations to rally against the massive spying program by the National Security Agency (NSA). Several leaders spoke at the rally to highlight the danger that such programs pose to our democracy and how it violates the US constitution.

Jun 30 - CAIR-CT Representatives work with the CT Coalition to Stop Indefinite Detention in order to further safeguard the rights of Muslims from unconstitutional government overreach. The Coalition is endorsed by CAIR-CT. A rally is to be held on July 18th the Old State House, 800 Main St Hartford, CT. The press conference will be held at 4:00PM with the rally being held afterwards.

Jun 22 - Executive Director Dhaouadi coordinates between the Tree of Life Educational Fund and state wide peace organizations in order to ensure access to information about the Palestinian struggle.

May 31 - Congressman Joe Courtney visits the Islamic Center of New London through CAIR-CT to address concerns in our state wide Muslim community. Topics ranged from the economy to the crisis in Syria.

May 11 - Representatives of CAIR-CT and ICNL work with other local non-profits to help feed the needy.

Apr 28 - Executive Director Dhaouadi represents CAIR-CT at the Prayers for Boston Event, and gives a presentation to students at the Berlin Mosque Sunday School.

Apr 22 - Executive Director Dhaouadi reflects on the Boston tragedy with his family, and the lasting effects on Muslim families in the United States.

Apr 16 - CAIR-CT President Mansour and Executive Director Dhaouadi of CAIR-CT attend a vigil for the tragedy in Boston, and speak out against all forms of violence.

Apr 13 - Executive Director Dhaouadi lectured on Compassion in Islam at an interfaith conference alongside Senator Blumenthal.