(ATLANTA, GA – 10/30/16) The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA) today thanked Olympic athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad for visiting Atlanta, rallying Georgia Muslim voters, and supporting CAIR-GA’s civil rights work.
Watch Video of CAIR-GA Banquet Here!
“American Muslims lost a role model when Muhammad Ali passed away, but we gained another when Ibtihaj Muhammad made history at the Olympics,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR-GA. “We thank Ibtihaj for inspiring Georgia Muslims to make our own history by voting before or on Nov. 8th. As Ibtihaj said, you don’t have to be an Olympian to be a hero. Just vote.”
CAIR-GA co-hosted the election rally alongside a coalition of Georgia Muslims, including the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, I-PAC Georgia Political Action Committee, and the Muslim Mix.
Atlanta Muslim Election Rally Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25bI5YNI5QQ
Other speakers at the rally, which was held at the Center for Civil & Human Rights, included leaders of Georgia’s Muslim community as well as representatives of Georgia’s Democratic, Libertarian and Green parties. The state Republican Party expressed regret that it was unable to send a surrogate due to weekend organizing efforts.
“Political candidates have treated American Muslims like political props, footballs, and hot potatoes throughout the 2016 campaign season,” Mitchell said. “All of that ends on Nov. 8th, when we can make our voices heard, loudly and clearly, by voting.”
Ibtihaj Muhammad also spoke at an evening banquet in support of CAIR-GA’s civil rights work. CAIR-GA held the banquet at Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, Georgia’s oldest Muslim house of worship.
CAIR-GA Banquet Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzJb-2E5I-k
Photos: CAIR-GA Banquet with Olympic Athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad
Other speakers at the banquet included Imam Mohammad Islam, leader of the once-stalled Newton County cemetery project, Imam Mansoor Sabree, executive director of IMAN Atlanta, attorney Azadeh Shashahani of Project South, and Aisha Yaqoob, executive director of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project, which has registered over 1,000 Georgia Muslim voters in 2016.
CONTACT: Edward Ahmed Mitchell; 404-285-9530; [email protected]