(COLUMBUS, OH, 01/19/23) – On Monday, January 16, The Ohio Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) hosted over 30 high school students from all over the state for its second annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP), a political education and leadership building experience for Ohio Muslim High Schoolers on Martin Luther King Day. Read More “CAIR-Ohio Hosts its Second Annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program”
(COLUMBUS, OH, 01/12/23)– On Tuesday, January 3, CAIR-Ohio attended the Swearing-in Ceremony of Representative Munira Abdullahi and Representative Ismail Mohamed to the Ohio Statehouse. Later in the week on Saturday, staff members joined a community event to celebrate Representative Abdullahi and Representative Mohamed as the first Muslim State Representatives in Ohio. Read More “CAIR-Ohio Celebrates Swearing-in of First Muslims to the Ohio Statehouse”
(COLUMBUS, OH – 1/4/23) – The Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) celebrated a decision by Governor DeWine to sign House Bill 353, otherwise known as the “Testing Your Faith Act” into law.
SEE: CAIR-Ohio Testifies in Support of Religious Accommodation Bill for College Students
The law now requires the state’s public colleges and universities to allow three days of excused absences each year for religious observances and alternative accommodations for exams and classwork during those absences.
Higher education institutions providing students with these religious accommodations will create a more inclusive environment for Muslim students who can practice their faith freely and achieve academic success. Most importantly, this law sets uniform standards across classes and campuses without relying on the discretion of each professor or school.
The bipartisan bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Gary Click and Rep. Miranda and passed favorably in both the Ohio House and Senate, without any opponent testimonies. It has received widespread support from various religious and civil liberties organizations, including those from the Jewish and Sikh communities.
SEE: CAIR-Ohio Presents Proponent Testimony on Religious Accommodations Bill for College Students
“Religious accommodations are an essential aspect of promoting inclusivity and support for Muslim college students. These accommodations allow Muslim students to fully participate in the academic and social aspects of campus life without compromising their beliefs and practices,” said CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Amina Barhumi.
“These provisions create a welcoming and supportive environment for Muslim students to thrive. By ensuring that Muslim students have access to these accommodations, colleges and universities can foster a more diverse and inclusive community where all students feel valued and supported.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. CAIR-Ohio’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. CAIR-Ohio has offices in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Amina Barhumi, abarhumi@cair.com, 614-763-6557
(COLUMBUS, OH 12/20/22) – Yesterday, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) signed on to a letter with several Ohio-based organizations urging Governor DeWine to veto House Bill (HB) 458. Read More “CAIR-Ohio Signs onto Letter to Urge Gov. DeWine to Veto Voter Suppression Bill”
(COLUMBUS, OH 12/20/22) – On Tuesday, December 13, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) joined a rally with over 170 organizations to demand democracy and fight against House Joint Resolution (HJR) 6, a resolution to require 60% vote for initiated constitutional amendment as opposed to a simple majority (50% plus one). Read More “CAIR-Ohio Joins Rally for Our Democracy at Statehouse”
(COLUMBUS, OH 12/14/22) – Along with more than 40 state and local organizations, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) signs on to a letter urging Congress to preserve language included in the draft Senate omnibus bill, directing the Department of Homeland Security to establish a centralized process whereby people who were deported can apply for an opportunity to return to their families, homes, jobs, and communities.
Members of Congress issued a resolution that enforces permanent banishment with no process in place for immigrants to return. Lifetime separation from their families and the lives they built over years is an extreme consequence for an immigration visa problem.
CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Lina Abbaoui said in a statement: “The systems that immigrants must navigate presents numerous barriers and legal challenges that put a strain on families, and the health of communities. If we allow a dangerous resolution that permanently bars deportees from reentry, the cost of these systems intensifies for the most vulnerable and the impacts would be devastating.”
As a strong advocate of immigrants and refugee rights, CAIR-Ohio urges Congress to preserve language included in the draft Senate bill, directing the Department of Homeland Security to establish a centralized process whereby people who are deported can apply for an opportunity to return to their families, homes, jobs, and communities.
Read the full letter and list of organizations who signed on here.
CAIR-Ohio is a proud member of the Immigrant Dignity Coalition whose purpose is to inform, connect, and mobilize the Southwest Ohio / Northern Kentucky community to defend and protect the dignity of the immigrant and refugee community by working in partnership and as allies.
(COLUMBUS, OH 12/13/22) – On Wednesday, December 8th, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) staff attended the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Ohio’s Annual Statehouse Day. Executive Director Amina Barhumi and Community Relations Assistant Shireen Shaaban joined over 150+ LWV members to push against legislation that could reduce early voting, make it harder for citizens to place initiatives on the ballot, or infringe on the rights of diverse Ohioans.
To kick off the event, Barhumi participated in an ‘Election in Review’ panel with Aaron Ockerman from Ohio Association of Elections Officials and Greer Aeschbury from All Voting is Local. They addressed and shed light upon issues associated with the 2022 Elections. They highlighted trends among voters, problems at the polls, how to appeal to underrepresented and minority voters, and much more. All of which helped in acknowledging ways to do better as community members in motivating voters for future elections.
Throughout the day, Barhumi and Shaaban contributed to worthy conversations with legislators, representatives, and LWV members from all over Ohio regarding crucial policies like House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR 6), House Bill 294, House Bill 458, and more.
Part of LWV Ohio’s Statehouse Day also included time for members to attend hearings and testify to HJR 6 and HB 294, which are legislation CAIR-Ohio has been closely monitoring and advocating against.
View CAIR-Ohio Community Relations Assistant Shireen Shaaban HJR 6 Opponent Testimony here.
View CAIR-Ohio Outreach Director Victoria Hickcox HB 294 Opponent Testimony here.
Take Action: Tell Ohio Representatives to Protect Citizen-Initiated Ballots
(COLUMBUS, OH, 12/12/22)– On Wednesday, December 7th, the Community Relations Assistant of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), Shireen Shaaban, testified to the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee in opposition to House Joint Resolution 6, a resolution to require 60% vote for initiated constitutional amendment.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Rep. Brian Stewart recently announced an effort to change the Ohio Constitution to make it nearly impossible for Ohio citizens to pass ballot initiatives to amend the state constitution. House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR6) is a constitutional amendment that, if passed, will raise the threshold to pass citizen-led Constitutional Amendments on the ballot from a simple majority (50% plus one) to a super majority (60%).
HJR6 would affect a wide range of issues, including redistricting reform. This impacts not only voting rights, but healthcare access, access to education, civil and economic justice, and much more. All of which apply to every Muslim and every Ohioan. This proposal would create an unfair, unpopular, and undemocratic process to bring issues that Ohioans care about to the ballot.
“Making the ballot initiative process even harder for citizens groups will make it almost impossible for anyone except big money special interests to successfully pass a ballot initiative in Ohio,” said Shaaban.
To learn more, visit Ohio Voter Rights Coalition website.
Watch Shireen Shaaban’s full witness testimony here.
Stop this attack on direct democracy in its tracks. TAKE ACTION here.
(COLUMBUS, OH, 12/12/22)– On Wednesday, December 7th, the Outreach Director of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), Victoria Hickcox, testified to the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee in opposition to House Bill 294, the Enact Ohio Election Security and Modernization Act.
While House Bill 294 is masked as legislation to create a more secure election process, it includes a host of anti-voter provisions like limiting access to ballot drop boxes, imposing confusing voter-ID requirements, canceling early voting the Monday before Election Day, and shortening the absentee ballot request period, to name a few.
In 2020, Ohio conducted one of the most secure elections in its history with record-breaking voter turnout. While 2020 saw historic turnout for the presidential election, voter suppression remains a critical issue and research shows it persists and reflects racial discrimination in the voting process (“The Impact of Voter Suppression on Communities of Color,” Brennan Center for Justice).
House Bill 294 is legislation that will feed into voter suppression and reflect racial discrimination in the voting process. Additionally, this bill would create more barriers to the ballot box and make it harder for Ohioans to vote.
Some of the measures this bill will enforce include, eliminating the last day of early voting, limiting County Boards of Election to three drop boxes, restricting set up to county board offices, and permitting their use starting only 28 days before an election.
Additionally, the Sub. House Bill 294 requires citizenship status to be listed on Ohio driver’s licenses.
This sub bill would have a chilling impact on immigrants and noncitizens, outside of the consideration of voting. Based on discrimination complaints and issues that clients face, CAIR-Ohio recognizes that immigrants from across the world are often misclassified due to bias.
“Outlining a person’s citizen status on their ID will potentially open doors for discrimination, prejudice, and oppression in the most basic interactions.” said Hickcox.
Together, all these measures along with most of the new provisions would disproportionately impact Black and brown voters, students, voters with disabilities, low-income Ohioans, active-duty military, rural voters, and seniors.
To learn more, visit Ohio Voter Rights Coalition website.
Watch Victoria Hickox’s full witness testimony here.
Our Democracy is under attack. Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Rep. Brian Stewart recently announced an effort to change the Ohio Constitution to make it nearly impossible for Ohio citizens to pass ballot initiatives to amend the state constitution. Under House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR6), if citizens spend months collecting signatures to put an amendment on Ohio’s ballot, their initiative would need an outrageous 60% of votes to become law. But if Ohio’s supermajority puts an amendment on the ballot, they would only need a simple majority of votes (50% plus one). Take action here.
Proposals like HJR6 affect a wide range of issues, including redistricting reform. This impacts not only voting rights, but healthcare access, access to education, civil and economic justice, and much more. All of which apply to every Muslim and every Ohioan. This proposal would create an unfair, unpopular, and undemocratic process to bring issues that Ohioans care about to the ballot.
Stop this attack on direct democracy in its tracks. Make our Ohio Representatives respect your right to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives and to think twice before pushing ahead. DO NOT LET HJR 6 pass, send your message here.
