Press Conference: Demanding Justice for Somali Family Targeted in Violent Hate Crime

by Khalid Turaani in 2025, April, press release, Recent News

COLUMBUS — In a press conference, the Columbus and Cincinnati Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), United Bantu of Ohio, and partner organizations lamented the lack of action from the Columbus Division of Police following a violent hate crime on March 20, and called for an immediate response.

On the same day, the Columbus Dispatch revealed new details about the poor investigation conducted by the Columbus Division of Police. The entire attack was captured on video, including the physical assault against Faith*, an Ohio mom, and a death threat made against her entire family. Faith immediately contacted the police, who came and interviewed the assailants — but made no arrests.

The attackers are known to the victim, the police, and the apartment complex, which forced the individuals to move out. The entire ordeal was captured on video. The assailants even showed their anti-immigrant bias in a post-assault interview with police, saying that Faith addressed them “in whatever (expletive) language she speaks.”

Three weeks later, the victim and her community are still waiting for arrests to be made. Faith, the victim, and the leaders supporting her are shocked that no charges have yet been filed. 

Community leader Anisa Liban emceed the press conference. Speakers were:

  • Khalid Turaani, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio’s Columbus and Cincinnati Chapter 
  • Deqa Haji, Executive Director of Zamzam Women & Family Center
  • Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance
  • Ali Hussein, President of United Bantu of Ohio

Their demands of the Columbus Police include:

  • Fully prosecuting the assailants with appropriate charges for this hate crime.
  • Subpoenaing and reviewing all available CCTV footage from apartment complex and surrounding businesses.
  • Ensuring that law enforcement officers receive proper training in cultural competency and sensitivity, to better serve our diverse community.

*We are using an alias to protect the family’s identity.

Press Release: CAIR-Ohio Condemns Arrest of University of Cincinnati Student Over Palestinian Flag, Citing Free Speech Violations

by Khalid Turaani in 2025, April, press release, Recent News
CAIR-Ohio Condemns Arrest of a University of Cincinnati Student
(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 4/3/2025) – The Columbus- and Cincinnati-based Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the arrest of a University of Cincinnati student by law enforcement allegedly for waiving a Palestinian flag.
SEE: Police Arrest a Student Activist at University of Cincinnati
On April 1, videos showed five police officers arresting a student activist on University of Cincinnati’s campus. CAIR-Ohio is concerned that the incident is part of the increased hostility on college campuses toward student activists over pro-Palestinian, anti-genocide views and the use of Palestinian symbols. 
“We unequivocally condemn the arrest of student activists and the alleged attack on free speech and academic freedom. We are appalled by these reported acts of aggression targeting those opposed to the genocide in Gaza and call on all Americans to defend the right to free speech,’’ said Khalid Turaani, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio, Columbus, Cinnicnnnati and Dayton.
 
This arrest on the University of Cincinnati’s campus follows a series of arrests nationwide including Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, Georgetown Scholar Badar Khan Suri and Tufts PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, among at least a dozen others who remain in government custody.
SEE: What we know about the college activists detained by federal agents | CNN  
The increased arrests by local police and FBI agents have led to the forced disappearings of students to detention facilities in Louisiana and the immediate revoking of their visas.  In Khalil’s case, he was told his green card had been revoked, a statement that was later blocked by a federal judge and requires evidence not yet provided by the Trump Administration.
SEE: What to Know About Mahmoud Khalil and His Green Card Status | TIME
CAIR-Ohio expresses solidarity with student activists nationwide and is committed to pursuing any incidents of harassment, discrimination, or intimidation to protect the civil rights, dignity, and safety of all individuals, regardless of their background, beliefs, or identity. To report an incident, file this form.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, with three offices in Ohio – Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. The organization is dedicated to enhancing understanding of Islam, protecting civil rights, promoting justice, and empowering American Muslims.

Press Release: CAIR-Ohio, Columbus Expresses Solidarity with Springfield’s Haitian Community Targeted by Racist Insults

by Khalid Turaani in 2025, February, press release, Recent News

(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 2/13/2025) – The Columbus-based Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the latest racist insults directed at the Haitian Community in Springfield, Ohio, in a city commission meeting.

CAIR-Ohio expressed solidarity with the Haitian community locally and nationally as it continues to face the consequences of rumors sparked last year by President Trump and Vice President Vance.

Although City officials confirmed the baselessness of Trump’s allegations multiple times, Springfield, Ohio, has received more than 30 bomb threats, an uptick in hate crimes and Neo-Nazi rallies and campaigns, both in person and online.

The latest incident of Haitian-targeted racism occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 11, when a man reportedly made racist comments comparing the intelligence of Haitians to dogs at a city commission meeting. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and City Commissioner Krystal Brown defended their community, removing the aggressor and a supporter.

SEE: City officials push back against racist insults to Haitians at public meeting

“We condemn this racist rhetoric and all other bigoted attacks targeting the Haitian community in Springfield,” said CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Khalid Turaani. “The spread of this despicable hatred must be stopped, and we must come together as a community to repudiate all forms of bigotry. We stand in solidarity with the Haitian community as it deals with these hate incidents.”  

Turaani added that CAIR expressed solidarity with the Haitian community nationwide as it has been targeted by an online racist hate campaign.

He added that CAIR-Ohio is committed to fighting bigotry and has recently condemned a banner and flags with Nazi swastikas and white supremacist statements put up by a group of neo-Nazis on a highway overpass in a historically Black community.

SEE: CAIR-Ohio Condemns Neo-Nazi Group’s Hate Event in Historically Black Neighborhood

As of February 5th, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and several other local officials filed a lawsuit on behalf of the City of Springfield against the Neo-Nazi group, Blood Tribe, for “engaging and enticing a campaign of harassment and intimidation, motivated by ethnic and racial hatred.’’

SEE: Springfield Ohio Sues Neo-Nazi Group

 CAIR-Ohio is committed to pursuing any incidents of harassment, discrimination, or intimidation to protect the civil rights, dignity, and safety of all individuals, regardless of their background, beliefs, or identity. To report an incident, file this form.

Press Release: CAIR-Ohio Advocates Against SB1

by Khalid Turaani in 2025, February, press release, Recent News

(Columbus, Ohio, 2/12/2025) Yesterday at the Ohio Statehouse, hundreds gathered to testify in front of the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee in an opponent testimony hearing for Senate Bill 1.

Staff from The CAIR-Ohio, Columbus and Cleveland chapters were in attendance and among the many awaiting turn to speak. The 75-page bill proposes suppressive measures that will result in the criminalization of “controversial” opinions or materials shared in class in favor of “neutrality,’’ which includes banning faculty strikes and publicizing class syllabi as well as the dismantling of all DEI structures within Ohio’s public universities.

Minority students, faculty, staff, and religious and culture-based groups will be particularly impacted. The bill blocks access to culturally competent services and institutional support as it strips away DEI funding and resources. It includes banning orientations, training, offices or departments, and any DEI-specific scholarships and initiatives. Similar policies in other states have led to crackdowns on pro-Palestinian activism and increased islamophobia as it emboldened far-right groups to misuse “neutrality’’ and “free speech” protections to justify hate speech on campuses.

“As an organization dedicated to promoting justice, protecting civil rights, and ensuring equity for all Ohioans, we are deeply concerned that SB 1 creates an unprecedented framework for state overreach in higher education. This bill threatens to stifle open dialogue and undermine the very principles that make Ohio’s universities spaces for intellectual growth and civic engagement,’ wrote CAIR-Ohio Columbus Legal Director Jwayyed Jwayyed in his testimony. “Moreover, this bill raises constitutional concerns. [SB1] is vague, overbroad, and ripe for misuse in its requirements for universities to remain ‘neutral.’ It would give state schools broad discretion to suppress speech the state disfavors, while permitting other viewpoints, effectively promoting viewpoint discrimination.’’

At the Ohio Statehouse, the opponent hearing spanned nearly eight hours with more than two hundred oral and eight hundred written testimonies submitted. CAIR-Ohio Columbus staff in attendance included Legal Director Jwayyed Jwayyed, Legal Assistant Raneem Albawab, Outreach Coordinator Caisha Abdullahi, and Communications Coordinator Sara Abou Rashed, who also submitted a personal testimony calling this bill “one rooted in fear, not protection. A bill, ultimately, asking us to be afraid of each other, of our stories.’’

CAIR-Ohio is committed to pursuing any incidents of harassment, discrimination, or intimidation to protect the civil rights, dignity, and safety of all individuals, regardless of their background, beliefs, or identity. To report an incident, file this form.

Press Release: CAIR-Ohio Condemns Expanded ICE Reach and Prepares for Accountability

by Khalid Turaani in 2025, February, press release, Recent News

(Columbus, Ohio, 1/30/2025) CAIR-Ohio Columbus condemns the Trump Administration’s expansion of the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) reach, which now includes the power to conduct raids in places of worship, schools, and hospitals.

“Our local community members and organizations stand alert and worried about the implications of these expansions and the spotting of ICE officials in local neighborhoods of Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Springfield,” said CAIR-Ohio Columbus Executive Director Khalid Turaani. “We especially worry about fear mongering, intimidation tactics and the breaking up of families due to their varied legal statuses.’’

Since re-entering office for his second term, President Trump has signed over a dozen executive orders addressing his immigration and mass deportation agenda. According to news outlets, Immigration authorities made close to 1,200 in just one day in Trump’s first week, a record breaking number that’s expected to increase.

On ICE’s role, CAIR-Ohio’s Legal Director for Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, Jwayyed Jwayyed, commented that “America is a land governed by rules and laws, as long as those laws are adhered to and ICE holds judicial warrants, their activity is legal; however, if laws are not followed and unwarranted arrests are made, CAIR-Ohio stands ready to uphold the laws of the US constitution and the laws of the great state of Ohio.’’

In preparation, CAIR-Ohio will be distributing materials digitally and in print as well as translated into multiple languages covering best practices when encountering ICE officers. CAIR-Ohio is committed to pursuing any incidents of harassment, discrimination or intimidation to protect the civil rights, dignity, and safety of all individuals, regardless of their background, beliefs, or identity. To report an incident, file this form.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, with three offices in Ohio – Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. The organization is dedicated to enhancing understanding of Islam, protecting civil rights, promoting justice, and empowering American Muslims.

Press Release: CAIR-Ohio Confronts Anti-Palestinian Harassment at The Mall at Fairfield

by Khalid Turaani in 2025, December, press release, Recent News

(Columbus, Ohio, 1/16/2025) Recently, The Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Columbus (CAIR-Ohio Columbus) resolved a verbal and physical discrimination incident that occurred on October 24, 2024, at The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, Ohio.

The victim, a mother shopping with her Palestinian son, was verbally and physically assaulted by two female workers (later identified as an employee and store owner) for wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt. The two workers verbally abused the mother with racially charged and anti-Palestinian insults. As she tried to record the incident, they grabbed her by the arm and shouted slurs at her. The workers then called mall security, falsely accusing the mother of being the instigator.

While mall security de-escalated the situation, the mother and her son were left distressed without formal resolution and the aggressors without consequence. When the mother’s complaint to mall management went unanswered, she sought CAIR-Ohio’s help.

The legal director of CAIR-Ohio’s Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, Jwayyed Jwayyed, contacted the general manager of The Mall at Fairfield Commons and demanded a formal investigation, a public apology, and reinforced commitment to a safe and welcoming environment for all patrons.

On January 8, 2025, CAIR-Ohio received notice from the legal department of the owner company of The Mall at Fairfield commons, WPG, which also owns Polaris Fashion Place and major shopping centers across the nation. They confirmed receipt of CAIR’s letter and that the store owner and employee in question were formally reprimanded and informed of further disciplinary action if such harassment reoccurs. The company affirmed its disapproval of the discriminatory incident and its commitment to the safety and inclusion for all patrons regardless of background.  

“We appreciate that the management of the Mall at Fairfield Commons took swift action in addressing the harassment and reprimanding the individuals involved,’’ said Jwayyed, CAIR-Ohio’s legal director. “However, this incident is one of many we receive weekly. While a small win, it highlights the urgent need for stronger policies against intimidation and discrimination.

No one should fear harassment simply for expressing their views or showing up as who they are, and we will hold accountable those who attempt to silence or threaten others.”

CAIR-Ohio is committed to pursuing any incidents of harassment, discrimination or intimidation to protect the civil rights, dignity, and safety of all individuals, regardless of their background, beliefs, or identity. To report an incident, file this form.