12/20/2011 - General – After reading a concerning article on Slate.com with misinformation about the Prophet Muhammad (saw), a Muslim man from Seattle contacted CAIR-WA to report the article and inquire about possible responses. CAIR-WA is writing a letter to Slate.com to advise them of the inaccurate information.

12/20/2011 - School – A man from Seattle contacted CAIR-WA, expressing concern over the celebration and education of Christmas in public schools that is not parallel with other religious holidays. CAIR-WA has tried to contact the man several times with no success.

12/19/2011 - Government Agency/ICE – After spending two years in the detention center, a Muslim man from Seattle contacted CAIR-WA regarding appealing the decision in his immigration case. Since this is not apparently a discrimination issue but one that involves immigration issues, CAIR-WA referred the man to three possible attorneys who work in immigration law.

12/16/2011 - Government Agency – While traveling abroad with his family, a Muslim man who is a Washington state resident was detained at an airport in Minneapolis for several hours with his family due to the amount of money they were taking overseas. Despite regulations stating that individuals can carry up to $10,000 when travelling, DHS agents counted the family’s money collectively, rather than individually and confiscated over $27,000. Though the man has appealed the decision with substantial evidence, his appeal has been denied. With the help of the Minnesota chapter of CAIR, CAIR-WA referred the man to an attorney in Minnesota who has worked on several cases involving American Muslims. Further, CAIR-WA assisted the man in obtaining copies of the legislation referenced in his denial letters.

12/14/2011 - Criminal Offense - A Muslim man from Seattle was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taken to the detention center. His wife contacted CAIR-WA for assistance in completing paperwork and finding an attorney for her husband’s trial. Since this is not apparently a case of discrimination but one that involves immigration issues, CAIR-WA referred the woman to an organization which works exclusively with individuals in the detention. In addition, CAIR-WA is in ongoing contact with the woman to assess the progress of her case and offer additional assistance as needed.

12/14/2011 - Government Agency – A Muslim man contacted CAIR-WA regarding zoning issues impacting the expansion of a mosque in Washington State. Of particular concern was that zoning permits seemed to be dispersed more readily to several Christian churches in the same area which had expanded recently. However, the man’s mosque was not allowed to construct a roof over an existing balcony. CAIR-WA organized a meeting with the man and a member of the US Attorney’s office to discuss the case. A second meeting has been scheduled for mid-January.

12/9/2011 - Child Custody – A Muslim woman from Seattle contacted CAIR-WA regarding a custody battle with her ex-husband over their daughter. CAIR-WA contacted a family law attorney for legal advice and forwarded the attorney’s response to the woman. As a policy, CAIR-WA does not intervene in child custody cases except for those involving a Muslim and non-Muslim where an anti-Muslim bias has been evidenced. Thus, CAIR-WA was not able to further assist the woman with her case, but offered her other potential resources.

12/4/2011 - General–A Muslim man from Seattle contacted CAIR-WA to report an anti-Islamic flyer his friend had found in a library in Bellevue. The flyer had inflammatory, inaccurate information about Mohammed and the Qur’an, and called Islam another “fascist, totalitarian ideology.” The police department in Bellevue had contacted CAIR-WA in June 2011 regarding inflammatory anti-Islamic flyers and graffiti in the area and seeking any further information we could offer. CAIR-WA forwarded the witness’ contact info to the police department in her area to follow up with her for further details.

11/28/2011 - Employment - A Muslim woman from Burien who worked at a large chain restaurant was written up for inappropriate behavior because she took her meal break at the same time as another co-worker to break fast and pray during Ramadan. When the woman contacted CAIR-WA, she had already quit her job due to an increasingly hostile work environment. CAIR-WA discovered that the woman was also repeatedly denied or discouraged from opportunities for promotion and was denied access to the bathroom unless she clocked out for a break. CAIR-WA has been working with the woman to finalize the letter of complaint as well as the paperwork required by EEOC and L&I. The complaint is anticipated to be sent the week of January 16th.

11/23/2011 - Government Agency – USCIS – A man from Seattle contacted CAIR-WA because his wife was denied a travel visa. Since this does not appear to be a case of discrimination, CAIR-WA referred the man to an immigration attorney.

11/17/2011 - Employment – A Muslim man from contacted CAIR-WA regarding accommodations for prayer at a large corporation in the Seattle area. The man stated that Muslims were going to lose their prayer room at work as the space they previously used was needed for something else. CAIR-WA provided the man with language regarding Washington state law requiring religious accommodations and how to request them from his employer. On December 9, 2011, CAIR-WA followed up with the man who stated that employees had found two rooms that were often available and somewhat private, so he considers the case resolved for the time being. The man also stated that he did not want to take the case to Human Resources unless prayer accommodations became unavailable in the future. Thus, CAIR-WA considers this case favorably closed.

11/7/2011 - Employment - A Muslim man in Seattle was fired from his job due to an injury he sustained during work. He went to court and got paid for the time he missed at work. He had surgery for the injury and is seeking worker’s compensation from his former employer. Since this is not apparently a case of discrimination, CAIR-WA referred the man to an attorney that specializes in employment law and has handled previous “L&I” cases.

11/7/2011 -Government Agency/Police – A Muslim man from Tukwila called CAIR-WA to report that a large group of Muslim men were at a bowling alley celebrating Eid Al-Adha when they were interrupted by the police. The police forced several members of their party to leave the bowling alley. A man inquired with the police as to why people were being forced to leave and the police officers responded by kicking the man out as well. Two police officers shoved the man by the shoulders until he was out of the building. The man told the police that he had done nothing wrong and they couldn’t just kick him out, but the police responded by threatening to arrest him. The man left the scene for fear of arrest. CAIR-WA is trying to get in contact with the man for further details about his case so corrective actions can be taken to address possible police misconduct and facilitate a more positive relationship between the police department and Muslim community in this area.

11/4/2011 - School - Two female Muslim students in Ballard had repeated negative interactions with a staff member at their high school. The interactions escalated to the point that the students felt they could no longer approach her for resources or assistance, and began to avoid her entirely. The girls believed that the staff member was so rude to them due to their race and religion, as she treated other Caucasian students and non-Muslim students much more respectfully. When the conflict was reported to the principal, very little was done to resolve the issue and the principal addressed the situation as a “misunderstanding”. CAIR-WA sent a complaint letter to the school and is currently working with the students to arrange a meeting with the students and the principal.