(5/23/16 – ATLANTA, GA) The leader of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Georgia) joined an interfaith rally for social justice groups at an Atlanta church Monday night.
During the event, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell read an opening litany alongside Dr. Francys Johnson, the president of the Georgia chapter of the NAACP.
“Americans need not share the same faith to work together on issues of shared concern,” Mitchell said. “American Muslims are happy to join our Christian, Jewish and secular neighbors in arguing for a more just immigration system, expanded access to healthcare, and a livable minimum wage.”
Asma Elhuni, an Atlanta activist, later delivered a speech about the dangers of Islamophobia during the event.
She recalled anti-Muslim bigotry in Georgia, including a Muslim woman arrested for refusing to remove her hijab in a courtroom several years ago as well as a young Muslim student whose teacher asked her if she had a bomb in her bookbag.
“Muslims aren’t the only targets, my brothers and sisters,” Elhuni said. “This happens to black men and women, this is happening to the immigrant communities, this is happening to the poor.”
Elhuni called on Georgians to work together across class, racial and religious divides.
“If we are to seriously fight against these discriminatory practices we will need to go to their core. In order to do that, oppressed peoples and allies must work together,” Elhuni said, adding, “Your struggle is my struggle, and my struggle should be yours as well.”
Other speakers at the event addressed various social justice issues, from immigration reform to healthcare access to a higher minimum wage.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
To contact, join or volunteer with CAIR Georgia, email [email protected].