06/20/12 – Employment/Harrassment

06/07/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Person - A Muslim woman was at a bus stop in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle with her young son who dropped two pouches of juice on the ground while his mother was turned away. A Caucasian man approached and kicked the pouches toward the woman, who then asked why the man had kicked them at her. After a brief altercation the woman asked the man to leave her alone. Once on the bus, the man threw the pouches onto the Muslim woman's lap. The woman pushed the pouches off and asked the man "Why are you harassing me?", then walked to the back of the bus. Other Caucasian men on the bus chimed in with discriminatory comments and said the woman was being a disturbance. The woman picked up the juice pouches to throw away later. She then contacted CAIR-WA with her story. We wrote and sent a letter to the Seattle Police Department, whose Crime Scene Investigations Unit has now taken the case.

07/31/12 – Hate Mails/Hate Phone Calls - A woman emailed CAIR-WA to report an individual who has been making inappropriate comments and posts online that are offensive to religious peoples, including and especially Muslims. CAIR-WA documented the case but declined to work further on the case since these online posts didn't convey a threat.

07/27/12 – Prison - A man calling on behalf of his son, an inmate at a Washington state correctional facility, reported to CAIR-WA that the Muslims at the facility are not being given proper Ramadan accommodations. For example they do not have enough time to heat their food in the microwave in the mornings, and the chaplain has been reluctant about allowing Muslims to gather for Morning Prayer. CAIR-WA has received several other reports of this nature and is actively pursuing a suitable solution through the Department of Corrections.

07/27/12 – Government Agency/TSA - A woman called CAIR-WA to report that she and her son have been having issues when flying abroad, both to and from home. They are unable to check-in on line at all, and when they arrive at the airport to print their boarding passes they are always required to get clearance first, which causes delays. CAIR-WA assisted the woman with filling out paperwork for the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP), which will assign a TRIP number to the names of each member of her family on travel tickets from now on. This will distinguish them from others with the same name and should prevent future delays.

07/26/12 – Government Agency/FBI   - A Somali-born US citizen reported to CAIR-WA that he had been contacted by an FBI agent who told him that he wanted to ask some questions about what is going on in Somalia. The man told the FBI agent that he would speak with the FBI but only with an attorney present. He then called CAIR-WA, and we provided for the man a list of attorneys who would offer their services to him for the interview free of charge, as well as a basic training on his rights and how to handle FBI investigations.

07/26/12 – Employment/Hire or Fire - A Muslim woman had a job interview with a Seattle-based assisted living center. It was reported to CAIR-WA that the interviewer stated that before the interview began, he needed to ask a question: "Can you uncover yourself while working? Like take your headscarf off?" The woman replied that no, she could not. Even after agreeing to wear the required uniform, which included pants, the man replied that if she was not willing to take off her hijab then there was no point in continuing the interview. He then escorted her to the exit with no further explanation. On behalf of the woman, CAIR-WA has sent a letter of complaint to the living facility's CEO, the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, and several other pertinent individuals. The letter includes a request for an internal investigation; cooperation with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights' investigation of the alleged incidents; a written apology for the woman; another opportunity for the woman to interview with a different interviewer; absolutely no retaliation against the woman or any employees; clarification of the company's religious policies; and institution of CAIR-WA's Workplace Sensitivity and Diversity Training for all employees. We are awaiting a response.

07/26/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Person - An Iraqi-born US citizen contacted CAIR-WA on behalf of her husband to report that he has been accused of paying kids in his community to do "bad" things with him. He was in Iraq at the time the accusation was made and has remained there for fear of being arrested if he returns to the US. The man had been paying children to do household chores for him but denies any inappropriate relations having occurred. The man is also dealing with an altercation between himself and a woman who has been trying to steal his business for the past fourteen years, an issue which his contractor has consistently failed to address. CAIR-WA referred the woman to a list of attorneys with which we have worked in the past who can possibly provide her with the legal counsel which this case needs.

07/20/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Person - A Muslim man who was entering a SeaTac mosque just after 8 am startled another man who had been sleeping there. The man who had been sleeping jumped up and attacked the other man, punching him and then stealing his wallet and car keys. When police arrived the man tried to run an officer over using the stolen vehicle. The incident was reported to CAIR-WA, however this was not believed to be a hate crime.  Therefore we have been asked to act no further on the case.

07/19/12 – Government Agency/Police - An 18 year old Muslim boy was wrongfully beat up and arrested when he stopped to view a crime scene last June. According to the victim, there was no reason for this arrest. Since then, his family reports that the boy's behavior has changed drastically and that he displays "crazy", often violent behavior - including hallucinations. Doctors have diagnosed him with an otherwise unspecified psychotic disorder, potentially brought on when the police officer who arrested him slammed his head into the concrete. The boy is currently in custody of a mental health institution. His family contacted CAIR-WA and we are currently working with them to achieve justice and reach the best possible solution for his care.

07/19/12 – Government Agency/ICE - A Moroccan-American man was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in October of 2009, directly after his release from prison. Aware of his rights, he informed the ICE officers that it was illegal to apprehend him as his case was still pending and not final; therefore he was not eligible for deportation. The man was held for 2 ½ years until April of 2012 and believes his detainment was unlawful. He contacted CAIR-WA, and since this is an immigration case and didn't appear to be a case of discrimination, we provided a list of attorney referrals with individuals we have worked with on cases like this in the past.

07/19/12 – Government Agency/USCIS - The immigration application of a Jordanian citizen currently living in the US on a visa has been denied because of his marital status. He contacted CAIR-WA with his case. Since this didn't appear to be a case of discrimination, we were able to refer him to a local immigration hotline for assistance and support.

07/19/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Property - A woman walking past the window of a Muslim-owned print shop in Seattle saw that its front window had been broken. She called the police, who brought in the owner. It was discovered that the window had been intentionally shattered by a firework. A police report was filed but no suspects were found. Two weeks later the shop owner's employee found a sticker placed on the exterior window sill that said "You will know who I am. SMEREONE DO NOT REMOVE WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION." He reported this to the police and the owner then contacted CAIR-WA. We have requested both police reports and are monitoring the situation.

07/18/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Property - A man called to report that while he had been teaching kids in the downstairs of a Seattle-area Masjid, a man threw a large rock through an upstairs window. No one was upstairs. A non-Muslim bystander called the police after seeing the man throw the rock and hearing him make a negative statement about Muslims in Ethiopia. CAIR-WA filed a request for the police report but was asked by the Masjid to take no further action on the case.

07/18/12 – Prison - An inmate at a Washington state corrections center wrote to CAIR-WA to report that the chaplain had denied his request to sign up for the Ramadan diet. The inmate is a recent convert to Islam and had missed the deadline to sign up. CAIR-WA contacted the Department of Corrections Head of Religious Programs and was informed that the facility will make every effort to provide a Ramadan diet for the inmate if it has the means to do so.

07/16/12 – Public Accomodation - When a Muslim woman's home caught on fire, her insurance company rented her a hotel room for one month and said that it would compensate her. However, one year later it had still not done so. The company is now saying it will not give her anything, even after receiving a breakdown of everything that was lost. The woman contacted an attorney, who informed her that the statute of limitations had expired on her claim. She believes this delay of over a year was orchestrated by the insurance provider and that she was exploited on account of her national origin and lack of English proficiency. The woman contacted CAIR-WA, and we have sent a letter of complaint to the Washington State Insurance Commissioner as well as the CEO of the insurance company on her behalf.

07/16/12 – Employment/Other - CAIR-WA was contacted by a man about a pay dispute and/or possible discrimination going on in his workplace. After multiple attempts, we were unable to contact him for further investigation.

07/13/12 – Government Agency/TSA - A Muslim woman reported to CAIR-WA that when her 18 year old daughter was going through security at Sea-Tac Airport she was stopped by a TSA officer. The officer claimed a new law requires any person with a head covering to be searched. Though the only extra clothing the girl had on was a headscarf and her metal detector had not gone off, her whole body was thoroughly searched. CAIR-WA sent a letter of complaint on behalf of the woman and her daughter and is waiting for signed paperwork from the woman before sending the complaint.

07/13/12 – Public Accomodation - A Muslim couple that is trying to adopt recently received a letter in the mail from the Seattle-based adoption agency with which they had been working for the past nine months. The letter vaguely stated that the agency could no longer work with the couple and included a partial refund of their fees, with no further explanation. This came after the couple had passed all tests and screenings with flying colors, gone above and beyond with filling out extra paper work and completing additional tasks not normally asked of applicants, and their own case worker had stated that they are excellent candidates for adoptive parenthood. Knowing that there was nothing new that could have popped up in their file in recent months, the couple wrote a letter back to company to inquire about why they had been dropped; there was no reply. The couple contacted CAIR-WA and we sent a complaint letter to the adoption agency on their behalf, requesting a written explanation of the couple's denial. The director of the adoption agency responded requesting a meeting to clear up "misunderstandings." The couple denied the director's meeting request and CAIR-WA is pursuing diversity training for the adoption agency's staff.

07/12/12 – Employment/Hire or Fire - A Muslim woman believes a co-worker who had been severely harassing her for over a year was trying to have her fired. She reported her concerns to a supervisor several times, but no action was taken. On July 1st the woman called in to work sick and was told she could come in later than scheduled. She showed up 9 minutes late, which her co-worker reported to their supervisor's boss. This was a breach in protocol as such complaints are supposed to go through the supervisor, who was the aware of the ongoing harassment situation. The boss called the woman in to his office at the end of her shift and terminated her, even though other employees have not been fired for similar reasons.  CAIR-WA sent a letter to the company on behalf of the woman requesting an internal investigation into the matter, cooperation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the woman's immediate reinstatement, absolutely no retaliation, and suitable redress for the offending employees. The company responded, denying all allegations and refusing CAIR-WA's requests. CAIR-WA is drafting a response to the company requesting documented evidence supporting their claims. If the situation remains hostile, CAIR-WA will refer the woman to an attorney in order to more aggressive legal recourse.

07/11/12 – Emplyment/Hire or Fire - A local union worker contacted CAIR-WA on behalf of five union members who had been terminated for praying at work. After many attempts we have been unsuccessful in getting a hold of the union worker again, but the case has been documented.

07/06/12 – Criminal Offense/Against Property - An adult male entered the Abu Bakr Masjid in Tukwila around 3:30 am as about 20-30 people were leaving after prayer. The man said offensive things about Islam, took out a large knife, cut his hand and said "I am God; I cut myself and feel no pain."  CAIR-WA requested a copy of the police report from the Tukwila Police Department, documented the incident, and made multiple attempts to contact witnesses but was unable to do so. According to leaders at the mosque, it is believed the man was mentally unstable and they do not want to take action against him.

07/05/12 – Government Agency/Police - A social worker from a community-based organization in Seattle contacted CAIR-WA to report that the bail of a 19 year old, mentally ill Muslim man has been set too high for his mother to pay. Furthermore, he has been detained without trial for an abnormally long period of time. CAIR-WA referred the man's family to Disability Rights Washington - an organization that does work around the rights of disabled inmates - for further assistance.

07/05/12 – Public Accomodation - A man called CAIR-WA to report that his two children had been refused a ticket to swim when he dropped them off at a public pool in a suburb of Seattle. The boy and girl had been standing in line when the employee handing out tickets skipped them. The employee later claimed that they had left the line and were playing somewhere else when he passed them by, but both the children and a witness claim this is false and that they were standing in line with the others. After unsuccessful attempts to locate the witness, CAIR-WA sent a letter of complaint to the mayor, city council, and recreation center on behalf of the man and his two kids. We are awaiting a formal response following the City's investigation.

07/05/12 – Government Agency/Other - A man who ordered car headlight bulbs from a company in China found out that his package had been detained for inspection by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without notice. After one month, the man called again to inquire about the status of his package and was told that its contents had been destroyed by DHS with no explanation, even though the man knew of several others who had ordered the same contents in the past with no issue. The company made an identical shipment to him one week later which was delivered successfully. CAIR-WA informed the man of his rights and drafted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to find out why his package had been destroyed without reimbursement. CAIR-WA is currently waiting for the man to return the pertinent paperwork to file the FOIA request.