Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson discusses the importance and the potential power of mobilizing young people to vote in elections. He describes some of the efforts CAIR-Chicago makes to reach young people early in life, to instill in them a sense of civic duty.

"For American Muslims, the biggest concern right now is the quality and tone of the debate," added Rehab. "Whether this debate is on our national security, or our jobs or the economy or even the place of Muslims in America, our concern is that the nature of the debate in America has become more and more divisive, cynical, frenzied, paranoid, and we are very concerned about that and we wish that they debate itself, regardless of the positions people take, to be rooted in more intellect and empirical analysis and honest debate and mutual understanding."

We are the most diverse religious community in this nation, representing people different needs and interests, who grow in complexity and variance. We all pay taxes to maintain the upkeep of our neighborhoods and its institutions. And we have a responsibility to make our voice count—we can, and should vote.

Check out our Civil Rights Digest and see how CAIR-Chicago works to help people in the Muslim community.

Christina Abraham discusses the lawsuit CAIR-Chicago filed for businessman Ala Alsherbini, against the village of Worth.

Check out our Civil Rights Digest and see how CAIR-Chicago works to help people in the Muslim community.

CAIR-Chicago would like to treat you to a day of fellowship and fun. Join us for the Fall 2010 MYLS Conference "Jump Start Your Future- Commit to Activism!"

CAIR-Chicago would like to treat you to a day of fellowship and fun. Join us for the Fall 2010 MYLS Conference "Jump Start Your Future- Commit to Activism!"

On Monday, Oct. 4th, CAIR-Chicago Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson met with an international envoy from Israel and Palestine to share ideas on how to improve Jewish-Muslim relations through art.

CAIR-Chicago proudly congratulates Sufyan Sohel, a CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Law Clerk, on receiving recognition by the prestigious PSLawNet Pro Bono Publico Award. Sohel, a third year student at DePaul University College of Law, was nominated by DePaul and placed second in the national competition.

A group of 25 DePaul students and staff visited the CAIR-Chicago office last month to learn about the organization’s civil rights activism on behalf of immigrants. The students were part of a class that focuses on young people from diverse cultural backgrounds and teaches about the realities of life for immigrant youth and the organizations that facilitate and incorporate them into Chicago’s wider community.

CAIR-Chicago Staff Attorney Kevin Vodak discusses the absurdity of proposed legislation aimed at limiting citizenship rights.

On September 11th, CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham spoke to first year Law School students at Kent Law School about the divisive rhetoric surrounding Muslims in America. She was joined by esteemed Northwestern law professor Joseph Marguilez.

ICIRR representatives, including board member and CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, took the stage alongside Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Congressman Danny Davis, and State Treasurer and Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias to rally support for comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act.

CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Amina Sharif emceed a banquet hosted by the Northwest Suburban College on Friday, September 24. Speakers included Rami Nashashibi, executive director of the Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) and Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Chairman of the CIOGC (Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago).

On September 11, Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson participated in an event hosted by the American Library Association(ALA), entitled “The Qur’an Read-out Protest”. The event was in coordinated as response to recent Qur’an burning threats, such as Pastor Terry Jones’ proposed “Burn A Koran Day.”

Nearly 200 people gathered at CAIR-Chicago’s downtown office for the annual "Taste of Ramadan" iftar, or bread-breaking, dinner. The food represented a wide range of cultures including: the Mediterranean, the Arabian Levant, Turkey, Yemen, Pakistan, Morocco, Palestine, Israel, Algeria, Egypt, India, Senegal, Poland, Austria, France, Spain, and Iran.

The Honor Killing Awareness Campaign responsible for the taxi advertisements is powered by the anti-Muslim group Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), run by Islamophobe bloggers Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.Their overt connection between the Islamic faith and violence is not only incorrect and offensive, but short-sighted in that it fails to acknowledge the wider problem of violence against women in America.