WHO WE ARE
CAIR Washington is grassroots advocacy and civil rights organization based in Seattle that serves the Muslim community across Washington state. Our purpose is to defend the civil liberties of Muslim Washingtonians no matter where they live or their level of income. We do this by 1) providing free legal services to Muslims who’ve been discriminated against because they are Muslim, 2) working to combat Islamophobia and bigotry through education and storytelling, and 3) empowering our community to be politically and socially engaged while shaping laws and policies that impact us.
CAIR Washington is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and a chapter of The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
OUR STORY
Our chapter has seen a lot of changes over the years. Under the leadership of Arsalan Bukhari from 2009 until 2017, CAIR-WA grew from a staff of two plus one board member into a functioning civil rights organization complete with managers, departments, and a robust board of directors. Since Arsalan’s departure, the organization has continued to progress – expanding its work to include a separate policy and advocacy team and hiring a staff attorney, legal rights director, and media director. In 2018, Masih Fouladi, the former Policy and Advocacy Director at CAIR Greater Los Angeles., took over as Executive Director and oversaw the greatest period of growth the organization has seen. Now under the leadership of Imraan Siddiqi, CAIR-WA enters its 20th year of service as it continues to expand its reach into all corners of our state.
Now under the leadership of Imraan Siddiqi, CAIR-WA enters its 19th year of service as it continues to expand its reach into all corners of our state.
Like the directors before him, Siddiqi brings a unique voice and perspective to the CAIR-WA team. A leading voice in the age of social media, Siddiqi started the #NoBanNoWall campaign as Executive Director of CAIR Arizona and has led many nationally and globally recognized social media campaigns. He has appeared in media outlets across the world for his commentary and thoughts on a wide array of issues, most notably Palestinian rights and combatting Islamophobia.
As an affiliate of the national Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), CAIR-WA shares a history with the larger CAIR network. CAIR National was founded in 1994 by three Americans - Ibrahim Hooper, Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad - to defend American Muslims’ civil liberties. Since its establishment in 1994, CAIR has worked to promote a positive image of Islam and American Muslims. Through media relations, government relations, education and advocacy, CAIR puts forth an Islamic perspective to ensure the American Muslim voice is represented. In offering this perspective, CAIR seeks to empower American Muslims and encourage their participation in political and social activism.