On November 15th, Gerald Hankerson, CAIR-Chicago’s Outreach Coordinator, conducted an event planning workshop for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights’ (ICIRR) “Uniting America” fellowship. Hankerson trained 18 fellows on how to reach out to the community.

Gerald Hankerson, CAIR-Chicago’s Outreach Coordinator, spoke at Oakton Community College on November 18th at the Muslim Student Association’s (MSA) Annual Eid Al-Adha Dinner. Hankerson discussed the effects of the media on Islam and Muslims in America.

Communications Intern, Noor Salahuddin discusses the Republican presidential candidates' political positions.

Communications Intern, Noor Salahuddin discusses the Republican presidential candidates' political positions.

On November 28th, Amina Sharif, CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator, spoke to a Roosevelt University class for education and counseling majors. She discussed the basic tenets of Islam, what it means to be a Muslim in today's Western society, and what civil rights and social justice issues Muslims have faced since 9/11.

On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, CAIR-Chicago was honored to host the Golden Door Coalition in the CAIR-Chicago Gallery. Through the joint effort of its many member organizations, Golden Door seeks to promote safety, shelter and new life for those refugees seeking to call Illinois home. CAIR-Chicago applauds their effort, and welcomes the opportunity to provide a comfortable space for them to use.

"It's something that we must take very seriously," said CAIR-Chicago executive director Ahmed M. Rehab. "CAIR-Chicago is very disturbed by this news. The Muslim community is disturbed. People of conscience are disturbed. We've called police to investigate it, and to prosecute it as a hate crime, because that's what it is."

A stabbing at the Champaign train station this week is not a hate crime, according to the charges filed by the state’s attorney’s office. But an advocacy group disagrees. Amina Sharif, spokeswoman for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Thursday it’s important to discourage prejudice.

On Thursday, December 8, civil rights and interfaith leaders held a press conference at the CAIR-Chicago office to condemn the controversial new provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1867) which passed in the Senate last week. SEE PHOTOS

Reem Rahman, Knowledge Manager at Ashoka, held an interactive session on social entrepreneurship at the CAIR-Chicago Gallery this past Tuesday, November 22, 2011. She led the audience through the evolution of Ashoka’s theory of change during its three-decade history of transforming the citizen sector by building the largest association of leading social entrepreneurs in the world.

Contact your Senators and demand the removal of provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act which will allow the indefinite detainment of American citizens without charging them for any crime or giving them a fair trial.

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director, talks to Worldview's Jerome McDonnell about the protests in Egypt against the country’s military leaders.

CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Amina Sharif spoke to the Islamic Center of Naperville’s Youth Group on Sunday, November 13th, about how to be an effective Muslim leader. The audience included about 100 middle school and high school students from the Naperville area.

On November 15, 2011, CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator Amina Sharif joined a panel discussion on the Constitutionality of legislation, proposed in 25 states, banning Sharia law. The panel included Chicago-Kent Constitutional Law Professors Steven J. Heyman and Mark Rosen.

Reem Rahman, Project and Knowledge Manager of Ashoka Changemakers (Washington, DC), will share Ashoka's approach toward acting as a catalyst for massive social impact across the globe, including an exclusive demo of her team's newest open-source, beta platform.

Amina Sharif, communications director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) office in Chicago, said she is hopeful for the new series, because it will offer “a more mainstream image of American Muslims. They are often stereotyped and misunderstood because of negative portrayals in media and pop culture. [This program] is normalizing Muslims,” said Sharif. “That’s the way [of] American culture – we needed 'The Cosby Show' to help normalize African American families. In this society public opinion is shaped mainly by media and pop culture,” she said.

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago executive director commended the TSA for Egan's firing. "We made it clear that Egan's discourse was as much an embarrassment to the agency and the values it stands for, as it was an affront against Muslims and other minorities," Rehab said in a statement.