Newsletter | November 14th, 2019
Newsletter | November 14th, 2019
Trial Attorney Opening!
CAIR-Chicago is seeking a Trial Attorney to join our Civil Rights Department and help fight against discrimination and hate crimes.
To apply please send a Cover Letter, Writing Samples (limited to 15 pages), and Resume to Deputy Director, Sufyan Sohel at ssohel@cair.com. Please write ‘Trial Attorney” in the Subject heading. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Description
CAIR-Chicago is a local office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization and was established to promote an accurate image of Islam and Muslims in America. CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance. The Civil Rights Department counsels, mediates, and advocates on behalf of Muslims and others who have experienced religious discrimination, defamation, or hate crimes. The Department works to protect and defend the constitutional rights of Muslims to freely practice their religion and be treated in a non-discriminatory manner.
The Trial Attorney in CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Department develops strategies for cases reported to the Department, represents complainants who have experienced discrimination, and facilitates resolutions ranging from proactive measures to full litigation of complaints in court. Litigation of CAIR-Chicago’s cases entails filing complaints, engaging in written and oral discovery (occasionally expert discovery), briefing summary judgment motions, and presenting cases at administrative hearings and court trials (including jury trials). The Trial Attorney also assists in the general management and supervision of the Department when necessary, including overseeing interns and externs.
Examples of the matters litigated by CAIR-Chicago include employment discrimination, denials of public accommodations, discrimination against students, mosque zoning disputes, travel ban issues, and delays in immigration benefits for Muslim immigrants.
In addition to pursuing individual complaints of religious discrimination, the Department has implemented several ongoing special projects that target important issues in the diverse Muslim communities:
Citizenship Delay Project – works to end the lengthy delays in the citizenship process for Muslims applying for U.S. citizenship.
Asylum Project – seeks to protect refugees from Middle Eastern countries who are unwilling or unable to return to their home country due to past persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Employment Discrimination Project – assists Muslims facing religious discrimination in the workplace.
Travel Free Project – addresses complaints of Muslims encountering problems while traveling.
Police Misconduct Project – advocates and represents clients in cases of discriminatory treatment by law enforcement.
FBI Project – assists individuals contacted by FBI agents, fully protecting their constitutional rights when being questioned.
Prison Project – secures the rights of Muslim inmates to practice their religion freely as well as seeks to ensure that inmates are treated humanely.
The Trial Attorney assists on working with staff members and interns/externs on all of these projects.
Requirements
At least six years of litigation experience, preferably in Federal Court, and admitted to the Illinois State Bar and the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois.
Self-motivated, well-organized, and demonstrated ability to multi-task.
Ability to participate in all stages of complex litigation and to formulate and implement sophisticated legal strategies.
Excellent writing and analytical skills.
Ability to work cooperatively on a variety of projects with attorneys, other staff members, and diverse community organizations and coalitions.
Ability to communicate effectively in legal and non-legal settings with a wide range of individuals and organizations.
Interest in protecting civil liberties in the United States.
To apply please send a Cover Letter, Writing Samples (limited to 15 pages), and Resume to Deputy Director, Sufyan Sohel at ssohel@cair.com. Please write ‘Trial Attorney” in the Subject heading. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
For any questions please contact Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel at 312-212-1520 or ssohel@cair.com
Deputy Director Sohel attends BMW Global Forum
A few weeks ago, CAIR-Chicago’s Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel attended the BMW Global Forum in Berlin, Germany. The Forum, themed “Breaking the Patterns - Responsible Leadership for Inclusive Societies,” brought together leaders from all corners of the globe to discuss strategies used to build more welcoming, diverse, and inclusive communities. These conversations were created t as a response to the ever increasing successful wave of global populism, which is giving voice to the a widespread “politics of resentment.” Many citizens feel insecure – nationalism, particularism, and a roll-back of liberal and multilateral values are on the rise and rapidly transforming societies everywhere. This Berlin Global Forum was a follow up to a Global Round Table Sohel attended last summer in Norway, one of five held in various international locations, that each focused on a specific aspect of break down the structures in our societies that prevent greater inclusiveness. Attendees included diplomats, educators, politicians, activists, and business leaders, who are all working on bringing positive change to their work.
The BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt believes that the individual commitment of people in positions of responsibility can play a major role in advancing positive change in accordance with the UN 2030 Agenda. By promoting Responsible Leadership at a global level, individuals can contribute to personal and systemic development towards a peaceful, just and sustainable future. Sohel reflected “I am always humbled to be in this space; the opportunity to interact with global change makers who are making such a positive impact on their communities. Listening to and learning from each of them has been transformative. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend and speak on my and CAIR-Chicago’s work on fighting for our most marginalized and building relationships that will only strengthen our work.”
MYLS-Chicago returns with big kickoff at Universal School
CAIR-Chicago relaunched its youth development initiative, Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS)-Chicago, at Universal School in Bridgeview. This special executive session, called “Set Your Own Tracks”, was presented to the entire junior and senior classes of a combined 103 students.
CAIR-Chicago’s Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, the main presenter and co-founder of the initiative, presented his insights from 15 years of experience of civil rights activism and advocacy. He also delivered the khutbah for the Friday congregational prayer for all the students seventh through 12th. Outreach Coordinator and MYLS-Chicago Program Director Gerald Hankerson also spoke to the group and, along with Communications Coordinator Hannah Faris and Outreach Extern Paige Thiel, co-facilitated group breakout discussion.
As young Muslims who will ultimately become leaders of their communities, broad themes centered on representation and empowerment. In their groups students identified critical issues impacting their community and the nation such as racism, mental illness, tobacco use and vaping, climate change, and the stigma of choosing careers outside of science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM). The groups defined possible solutions they can work toward, ranging from bringing awareness to policy change and participating more seriously in civic engagement.
“Making sure that the MYLS-Chicago initiative returned is crucial to CAIR-Chicago’s overall goal for the Muslim community’s continued strides in being fully engaged and respected—especially given what’s at stake socially and politically for 2020 and beyond,” says Hankerson. “Throughout the years our Muslim youth and young adults always reminded us that they will be the ones to win the fight against Islamophobia—a legacy that they unfairly inherited but are defiantly proud in living their Muslim faith and exercising positive values synonymous with this nation that are also espoused in Islam.”
MYLS-Chicago began in September 2007 with Universal School joining as its first institutional partner. In April 2008, other local Muslim schools joined as anchoring members: Aqsa School, Muhammad University of Islam, Islamic Foundation School, and College Preparatory School of America. Since its inception, the initiative hosted over 50 symposia and events with over 500 participants. The core mission of MYLS-Chicago is to provide Muslim American students in grades 8-12 with a proactive agenda for positive activism, empower them to guide their communities from the margin to the mainstream, and foster a healthy Muslim-American identity that fits comfortably within pluralistic American society while true to its faith values.
Sufyan Sohel speaks at National Muslim Law Students Association Conference
On November 2, 2019, Sufyan Sohel, CAIR-Chicago’s Deputy Director & Counsel, spoke at the National Muslim Law Students Association Conference held at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The conference brought together law students from around the country to learn from and network with practicing Muslim attorneys. Sohel participated on a Public Interest panel, sharing the story of his path to CAIR-Chicago and what motivates him to keep fighting for the Civil Rights of American Muslims. The panel also included Matthew Callahan, Staff Attorney at Muslim Advocates, Tarek Ismail, Associate Professor at CUNY Law, Sania Khan, Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the NY State Attorney General, and was moderated by Nabihah Maqbool, Legal Fellow at Muslim Advocates.
“I love speaking to law students. They are the future of the legal profession and I find it my responsibility to remind them of the importance of public interest work and serving our communities. I feel blessed. Every day, I have the opportunity to defend the rights of Muslims and other marginalized communities and to be an advocate for justice against those facing hate and discrimination. I thank the conference organizers for inviting me and for providing me an opportunity to share my story and discuss our work.”
Sohel can be reached at ssohel@cair.com
CAIR-Chicago staff presents at AABA Bar Foundation Pay-It-Forward Luncheon
CAIR-Chicago Deputy Director & Counsel Sufyan Sohel and Civil Rights Fellow Marwa Jumma spoke at the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago Bar Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward Luncheon held on November 12, 2019. Sohel discussed the rise of hate facing the Chicagoland Muslim community and the importance of all communities to come together as allies and supporters to serve the most disenfranchised. Jumma spoke about her background in Syria and her experiences at CAIR-Chicago in working on protecting the rights of Muslim Americans. “We are so lucky to have the amazing support of the AABA Bar Foundation. Their grant allows us to recruit exception summer Fellows who truly improve the level of service we are able to offer our community,” said Sohel.
For the past three years, CAIR-Chicago has been a recipient of the AABA Bar Foundation’s summer Fellowship grant. This grant allows CAIR-Chicago to recruit and award a summer Civil Rights Fellow, with a generous stipend, in return for dedicated commitment to the organization. Our 2019 Fellow was Marwa Jumma, a graduate of IIT Chicago Kent College of Law, who has been an instrumental member of our Civil Rights Department.
Civil Rights Report
Civil Rights intakes from the weeks of October 31st to November 14th
Muslim man terminated without explanation
Muslim staff member in Illinois school faced hostility from colleague
Muslim woman forced to remove hijab at prison security checkpoint
Apply for Our Internships!
CAIR-Chicago is currently accepting applications for the Winter/Fall 2019 term! All departments are accepting. Internships also can be used for class credit (dependent on university). Check out more info below!
Save the Date!
CAIR-Chicago's Annual Banquet is February 8th, 2020!
For volunteer information, email ghankerson@cair.com