(COLUMBUS, OHIO 9/2/2021) – On Monday, August 23, Tuesday, August 24, and Wednesday, August 25, the Ohio Redistricting Commission held public hearings in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo. These meetings are part of a string of state-wide hearings to garner public input in the official redistricting process. CAIR-Ohio staff and Muslim community members testified in front of the commission to advocate for fair maps and proportional political representation.
CAIR-Ohio Cleveland office staff member Areege Hammad testified at the Cleveland public hearing to emphasize the need to safeguard the voting power of the Muslim community as a minority group.
“One example of many is the neighborhood surrounding the Islamic Center of Cleveland, one of the largest Muslim communities in northeastern Ohio. It is currently split into multiple congressional districts and multiple statehouse districts. Thus, diluting the voting power of Muslims and immigrants in this community.”
In Cincinnati, CAIR-Ohio Community Affairs Director and Cincinnati resident Whitney Siddiqi testified about similar issues experienced by the Muslim community in Hamilton, Butler, and Warren counties and highlighted CAIR-Ohio’s efforts to educate citizens about the redistricting process and increase public participation.
“Through redistricting education events in Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, we have submitted 100 community maps to the Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission Public Portal, showing citizens’ perspectives of their own communities. We have helped numerous community members submit written testimony to this commission.”
Cincinnati Muslim community members Rukiye Abdul-Mutakallim and Jihad Khan also took a stand to let members of the commission know that gerrymandering is undemocratic and called for accountability on behalf of the commission to make the drawing process transparent and allow for ample public input. Ismael Gad, a lifelong Toledo community member, also submitted testimony for the Toledo hearing to share his experience as a voter who is lumped in with independent rural communities, weakening his ability to advocate for issues that are important to him and his community.
CAIR-Ohio is a proud member of the Ohio Citizens’ Redistricting Commission, Equal Districts Coalition, 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, and speaking at town halls.
View the testimony highlights from the Cincinnati and Cleveland hearings here.
View the individual testimony links here: Whitney Siddiqi, Jihad Khan, Rukiye Abdul-Mutakallim, Areege Hammad
Community members can fight for fair maps and against gerrymandering by:
- Learning more about redistricting in Ohio at cair-ohio.com/redistricting-resources.
- Join the Redistricting Mobilization Whatsapp group to learn more and stay updated.
For questions contact Policy Director Tala Dahbour at tdahbour@cair.com, or by phone at (614) 401-2920.
