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CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Launches Immigrants' Rights Program
Dear Community Members and Friends,
 
Last November, I joined the CAIR San Francisco Bay Area team on the day before the Presidential election. In my first week on the job, CAIR offices across the country heard from countless people who were being visited by the FBI or experiencing hate crimes, as well as many more who were afraid of post-election backlash. They were calling because they knew that for years we had provided free legal services to individuals facing civil rights violations, ranging from FBI visits to employment discrimination and bullying.
 
One year later, I am excited to share good news with you. Based on the community's need and through your generous support, we are now expanding our legal services.  Beginning today, we will offer low-cost or pro bono legal assistance for immigration matters. Our office will assist individuals with:
  • Citizenship applications
  • Adjustment of status
  • Family petitions
  • Asylum
  • Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
  • T and U-visas
  • Violence against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions
Unfortunately, the Muslim community has been affected by discriminatory immigration policies for many years. In the past, the community was targeted by the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERs) implemented post-9/11. And currently, Muslim immigrants are often impacted by the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP). Under the CARRP program, US Customs & Immigration Services often subjects Muslim immigrants to pretextual application denials and huge delays in processing their applications.
 
This year, we saw nationals of seven majority Muslim countries banned from entering the U.S. through an executive order signed by President Trump as he attempted to fulfill his campaign promise to ban all Muslims. In the 30 days following the first Muslim Ban Executive Order, our lawyers and staff assisted over 100 individuals who contacted us for guidance amid the chaos. We continue to receive calls from concerned travelers. Fortunately, the courts have continuously blocked full implementation of the ban.
 
We know now more than ever it is critical that the Muslim community have access to high quality culturally competent immigration representation. We are excited to officially launch this program and offer immigration services from our office for the first time after 23 years of standing up for the civil rights of the Muslim community.
 
To obtain more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at 408.986.9874 or via the web .
 
Finally, we hope that you can join us at our annual banquet Saturday, December 9 where we will share more about the work we have done this year. Your support over the years at events like the banquet has provided us the ability to offer these new services. Click here for more information and tickets.
 
Thank you for your continued support.
 
Sincerely,
Brittney Rezaei
Immigrants' Rights Attorney
Banquet
Saturday, December 9 at 5:00 PM
Santa Clara Convention Center
5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara

Featuring

Linda Sarsour
MPower Change Co-Founder
Women's March National Co-Chair

Rep. Ilhan Omar
First Somali American Elected to Office

Imam Siraj Wahhaj
Masjid Al Taqwa, New York

Pre-Sale Tickets
$55 Per Person I $500 Per Table

Childcare
$25 Per Child (Ages 2 to 8. Provided by The Ramadan Playgroup) 

Tickets  available for purchase here:  CAIR-SFBA 23rd Annual Banquet

For additional information about sponsorship opportunities, visit: sponsorships
Bystander Training
Hate crimes are on the rise in California. If you witnessed someone being bullied, harassed or assaulted, would you know how to respond?

Please join the Office of Assemblymember Evan Low and CAIR-SFBA for a Bystander Intervention Training. In this training, participants will learn how to disrupt harassment as it is taking place thus creating a safer community. Trainers from CAIR-SFBA will provide participants with tools and strategies on how to safely intervene if they witness a bias incident or hate crime taking place.

Where: Campbell Community Center, Mary Campbell Room
1 W. Campbell Ave., Room Q-84 Campbell, CA 95008

When: Monday, November 27,  5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

The event  is open to all. However, capacity is limited so please RSVP at the link below.

We look forward to seeing you there!


News Digest
Sober Leadership Needed to Curb Violence
CAIR Letter to GOP Leadership 
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, today sent a letter to Republican Party leaders requesting a meeting and the immediate removal of the Republican National Committee online "Listening to America" survey question asking Americans if they "Are you concerned by the potential spread of Sharia Law?"

Such rhetoric is not making us any safer, but it is fueling the worst sentiments within our country. Such talk is devouring us from within, the us verse them mind state, much of it being those who are white on the Right that subscribed to white normalcy when it comes to Americanness against those who are not nor subscribe to such.

Reintroducing Yemeni Coffee to America
Teacher Fired After Student's Hijab Ripped Off 
It comes from Yemen, a country so racked by war its coffee has been largely out of reach for decades -- until a young man named Mokhtar Alkhanshali decided to go and get it.

"If I knew that I was going to go through a war-torn country, escape bullets and air strikes, and leave on a boat across a giant ocean, I would have never started this journey," he said.

The school's principal, Tim Malone, initially told the station that the teacher denied making the video and that exposing the girl's hair was not mean to be disrespectful. The student's mother and teacher were shown the video and told WSMV "This should never happen."

The Council on American-Islam Relations called for a criminal investigation after the story broke.

Additional News Stories of Interest
The CAIR-SFBA Team
Governing Board

Spojmie Nasiri, Esq.
President

Ihab Badr
Vice President

Patricio Pace
Treasurer

Adil Syed
Secretary

Abdelhamead Ibrahim

Afshan Keval

Aliah Abdo, Esq.

Eman Tai, Esq.

Musaab Attaras

Sarah Salem

Sajid Nasir



Staff

Zahra Billoo, Esq.
Executive Director

Amina Abid
Operations Manager

Andrew Schutts
Administrative Assistant

Brittney Rezaei, Esq.
Civil Rights Attorney

Courtney Mangus
Programs Coordinator

Jeffrey Wang
California Bar Foundation Legal Fellow

Ossama Kamel
Outreach Coordinator

Sally Horna
Legal Fellow

Sameena Usman
Government Relations Coordinator

Subha Varadarajan
Muslim Ban Campaign Legal & Outreach Fellow