(COLUMBUS, OHIO 08/4/2021) – On Tuesday, July 27, Thursday, July 29, and Wednesday, August 4, the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) spoke at Fair Maps Town Halls across the state. CAIR-Ohio representatives advocated for equal districts that fairly represent Muslim communities in Ohio.
Amina Wase, a CAIR-Ohio intern who lives in Centerville and is educating her community about redistricting, spoke on her perspective as a Muslim American at the Dayton Town Hall. Specifically, Wase pointed out that her fellow Muslim community members who live five minutes east of her home are not represented in the same district as her despite their shared experiences.
CAIR-Ohio Community Affairs Director Whitney Siddiqi, who is a Cincinnati resident, spoke at the Cincinnati Town Hall and stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Muslim community in Hamilton County, and the Muslim community spanning West Chester and Mason, both of which are currently split into multiple congressional districts. Siddiqi also expressed frustration around the delay of the official redistricting process and called for accountability by government officials to ensure it is fair, transparent, and allows many opportunities for public input.
At the Columbus Town Hall, CAIR-Ohio Policy Director Tala Dahbour shared the community’s frustration about the fragmentation of the Columbus Muslim community into multiple congressional districts.
“As an organization, we have heard from so many community members who feel defeated by the way district lines have split up the community which takes away from the issues experienced by Muslims collectively and leaves no adequate means of recourse for raising these issues with our elected officials.”
As part of CAIR-Ohio’s efforts to amplify community voices within the redistricting process, community member, Hadiya Akhtar, provided testimony about her experience as a Muslim who grew up around the Noor Islamic and Cultural Center. Akhtar cited gerrymandering in her community as a barrier to Muslim-specific policy advocacy.
Click the links to view the town hall recordings for Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus.[TD1]
Watch Hadiya’s testimony here.
CAIR-Ohio is a proud member of the Equal Districts Coalition, the Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission, and the Equal Districts – Grassroots Mobilization Subcommittee. The organization has been engaged in the fight for fair maps this summer through community events, training citizens on mapping submitting community maps, distributing educational materials, testifying at hearings, speaking at town halls, and mobilizing the Muslim community around redistricting.
Community members can fight for fair maps and against gerrymandering by:
- Learning more about redistricting in Ohio at cair-ohio.com/redistricting-resources.
- Attending a community redistricting event: Dayton on Aug. 11 and Cincinnati on Aug. 14.
- Submitting testimony in the official redistricting process and ensuring your perspective on your community is heard. Contact CAIR-Ohio Policy Director Tala Dahbour at tdahbour@cair.com or 614-401-2920 if interested.
