AMP Report - April 24, 2017
Hundreds of Muslims gather at Capitol
to advocate for inclusive California
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
About seven hundred Muslims from across California gathered Monday, April 24, 2017, for the 6th Annual Muslim Day at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
The theme of this year's Muslim Day was "Action Trumps Fear".
A joint press conference at the Capitol was held to mark the Muslim Day that featured by, among others, Assembly member David Chiu, representative from Assembly member Kansen Chu, an official of Japanese American Citizen League and CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Executive Director Zahra Billoo.
The Muslim Day provided an opportunity to American Muslims from across California to meet state legislators and discuss issues of concern to help bring about positive social change. This year, Muslim Day attendees advocated for a number of civil rights issues, including protections for religious communities and immigrants, measures to prevent school bullying, and standards for hate crime reporting.
The Fox40 news reported that in the first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency, California Muslims say they've felt a great amount of injustice. They're supporting four bills:
California religious freedom act (SB 31): This bill would prohibit a state or local agency from participating in a federal program to create a database on a person's religious beliefs, national origin, or ethnicity for law enforcement or immigration purposes. It would also prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from collecting information on the religious beliefs, practices, or affiliations of an individual except under certain circumstances.
The California values act (SB 54): This bill would protect the safety and well-being of all Californians by ensuring that state and local resources are not used to fuel mass deportations, and that public schools, state health facilities, and courthouses remain safe and accessible to all California residents, regardless of their immigration status.
Hate crime reporting standards (AB 158): This bill would establish uniform hate crime reporting standards for law enforcement agencies statewide. It would ensure that hate crimes are properly recorded by peace officers at the local level in order to ensure proper prosecution in those cases.
Safe place to learn act (AB 1318): This bill would require the Department of Education to assess whether the local educational agency has provided information to all employees on how to support all students who may face bias or bullying. Additionally, it would require the information to include resources that provide support to youth and their families who have been subjected to bullying or faced bias.
"Trump reignites ‘spirit of justice’ for Muslim Day at Capitol," said the Sacramento Bee adding: the title of Muslim Day at the Capitol this year says a lot: Action Trumps Fear.
“The election of Trump and the campaign in general kind of reignited a spirit of justice within the community that was very much dormant,” said Yannina Casillas, legislative and government affairs coordinator for the CAIR. “A lot of people are really interested in getting more involved.”
A week after the inauguration, Trump attempted to make good on campaign promises with the first of two executive orders blocking citizens of several predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Both orders have been halted by federal judges, despite strong push back from the administration.
Casillas said the council is a sponsor of Senate Bill 31, also known as the California Religious Freedom Act. The bill bars state and local governments from establishing their own or aiding in the creation of a religious registry that includes someone’s national origin or ethnicity. The council also supports Senate Bill 54, which bars state or local law enforcement from using their resources to help federal immigration enforcement. Another measure, AB 158, attempts to establish more accurate reporting of hate crimes.
1,035% Spike in Islamophobic Incidents at U.S. borders during President Trump's first 100 days
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Tuesday (April 25) reported preliminary data revealing that cases of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) profiling of Muslims accounted for 23 percent of CAIR case intakes in the first three months of 2017. This represents a 1,035 percent increase in CBP bias cases reported so far this year over the same period in 2016.
The CAIR also found that:
* Of the 193 CBP cases recorded from January-March 2017, 181 were reported after the January 27 signing of the Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States Executive Order, also known as the Trump administration "Muslim Ban."
* The 181 cases that occurred after the Muslim Ban was signed exceeded the combined total of 136 CBP profiling cases CAIR documented in the previous three years.
In early May, the CAIR will release a report detailing anti-Muslim bias incidents documented by the civil rights organization during the 2014-2016 period. Shortly after the release of that report, CAIR will release its preliminary first quarter 2017 case data.
The CAIR said the first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency witnessed initial efforts to translate his anti-Islam campaign rhetoric into official U.S. policy. These efforts included populating his administration with a number of officials who have a history of problematic and misleading statements about Islam and Muslims.
It also included an evolving effort to fulfill his campaign promise of a ban on Muslim entry into the U.S. There were also reports of substantive movement toward an executive order directing the Secretary of State to determine whether to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, which experts say is just a "witch hunt" rooted in conspiracy theories peddled by the U.S. Islamophobia network and intended to eviscerate American Muslim civil society.
Online Magazine launched in 2003
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
