CAIR-Georgia Calls on Brian Kemp to Apologize for Photo with Violent Anti-Muslim Extremist | CAIR Calls on Miss. to Allow Kufi in License Photo | Texas Social Studies Standards Stereotype Muslims

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"The servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them they say 'Peace!'" The Holy Quran, 25:63
BREAKING: CAIR-Georgia Calls on Brian Kemp to Apologize for Photo with Violent Anti-Muslim Extremist

In an undated photograph taken during a campaign event, Secretary Kemp can be seen flashing a thumbs-up and smiling as he embraces James Stachowiak, who was wearing a T-shirt that read "Allah is not God, and Muhammad is not His Prophet.". . .

"Secretary Kemp should apologize for embracing a bigot who has defamed, harassed and threatened Georgia Muslims, as well as other communities," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR-Georgia. "Mr. Kemp should clearly renounce this extremist's support, and just as strongly denounce anti-Muslim bigotry."
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CAIR Calls on Mississippi to Allow Islamic Head Covering in Drivers License Photos

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today sent a letter of concern to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MS DPS), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division regarding a MS DPS policy requiring male American Muslims to remove their kufi, or religious head cap, in violation of sincerely-held religious beliefs.

[NOTE: A kufi is similar to a yarmulke, the skullcap worn by Jewish men.]

According to CAIRs letter, MS DPS employees forced a Mississippi resident to remove his kufi to renew his drivers license. Despite notifying DPS employees that the kufi was a religious head covering, DPSforced the Muslim customer to remove his kufi in violation of his sincerely-held religious belief. CAIR expressed concerned that the MS DPS policy is unconstitutional and needs to be adjusted to respect the religious rights of all Mississippians, including Muslim Mississippians. CAIR will continue to monitor the situation.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safetys policy of forcing individuals to remove religious attire such as the kufi does not respect constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of religion that is the right of all Americans, said CAIR Trial Attorney Ahmed Mohamed. We will continue to monitor the situation and urge MS DPS to adopt policies consistent with the U.S. Constitution to respect the sincerely-held religious beliefs of Mississippians.
CAIR-Texas: Proposed Social Studies Standards Display "Xenophobic Stereotypes" of Muslims, Critics Say

Local and national organizations are teaming up to fight a portion of a proposed social studies standard before the Texas State Board of Education that opponents say is biased toward Israel and anti-Muslim.
The 17 groups, which include Muslim, Jewish and Christian organizations, are particularly campaigning against this line: Explain how Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict, among other curricula that they say promotes racist and xenophobic stereotypes.

The coalition of organizations looking to challenge the Texas SBOE includes the DFW chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Dallas Palestine Coalition, Veterans for Peace North Texas chapter and national groups such as Alliance of Baptists, Code Pink, Friends of Sabeel North America, American Muslims for Palestine and Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East. Other groups around Texas joining the fight are Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestine Solidarity Committee, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston, If Not Now, Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights, Palestinian Youth Movement and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin.