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Below you will find summaries of some of the cases that CAIR-WA has received from Muslims across the Northwest. Both Human Rights First and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights note that hate crimes are underreported in the United States. This matches CAIR’s experience as does our observation that other acts of anti-discrimination, in addition to hate crimes, are also under-reported. We understand that reporting an incident is often the last thing a person wants to do, but it is the best thing for ensuring justice and protecting others from experiencing similar incidents. Perpetrators of discrimination cannot be allowed to think their actions or crime carries no consequences for them. The public must see and share the natural revulsion that accompanies hearing and seeing the results of bigotry.

Additionally, the more cases CAIR-WA receives, the more strongly we can advocate changes in systems such as laws and policies, in order to decrease the likelihood that the same issue will be faced by another Muslim. All of our civil rights services are provided at zero cost to our clients.

Documentation is important. Take pictures of vandalism; record bigoted speech when you see it. To report discrimination, call CAIR-WA at (206) 367-4081, e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit: cairwa.org/report-discrimination.

Case Digest for November, 2012

Though a relatively lower number of cases were reported to CAIR-WA in the month of November, 2012 (16 cases, as opposed to 48 cases in October, 2012), our Civil Rights Department remained busy between intake and following up on the large number of cases already in our care.

The only discernible pattern in these reported cases is the continued abuse of government agencies toward members of the local American Muslim community. Five of the cases reported in November were complaints against government agencies—this constitutes nearly one third and indicates an ongoing trend of heightened difficulties with government agencies that CAIR has seen across the nation.

Of particular concern is continued targeting of members of the Muslim community by the FBI, and frequent difficulties with pending citizenship applications for relatives when individuals are contacted by FBI agents and decline to speak.

Below is a brief overview of the cases we received in November, 2012, with several stories highlighted in detail.

Overview of cases – 16 total complaints received in November, 2012

1 criminal offense case that resulted in a broken nose and eye socket for the Muslim victim.
1 case of public accommodation that highlighted the prolonged inability for one woman to get housing for discriminatory reasons.
3 cases of employment discrimination, including one man who was accused of sleeping on the job when he was in fact praying.
5 cases involving government agencies, including one IT professional who found out he was on a “no-fly” list when he tried to board a domestic flight for a business trip.
1 case linked with school misconduct in which a boy was wrongly accused of trying to steal from the locker of a girl at his school.
3 cases regarding hate mail, one of which seems to be condemning not just Islam but Christianity as well.
2 cases regarding prison inmates, including one letter which outlines specific complaints about staff misconduct at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.

Select civil rights case studies from November, 2012:

Hassan (name changed for this story to maintain privacy), a high school student in the Seattle Public School District has been forced to change school districts because of the uncomfortable environment that was created when he was falsely accused of stealing from another student’s locker at his former school…Click here to read full story

Christina (name changed for this story to maintain privacy), a woman living in California, contacted CAIR-WA via our online “Report Discrimination” form on November 10, 2012. She reported having experienced many incidents of discrimination which have caused her a lot of problems. At that time in particular she was having difficulties with finding housing and was living in a motel…Click here to read full story

On November 23, 2012 a local Muslim – an information technology executive by profession – called CAIR-WA to report that an FBI agent had knocked on his door three days prior while he was away on business. His wife had answered the knock and spoken with the agent, who gave her his business card and asked her to have her husband call when he returns home. The agent did not give many details about the reason for his visit, and only said that he wanted to show pictures to her husband of an event that he was a potential witness to…Click here to read full story

Case Digest for October, 2012

As you will see by our case count below, the Civil Rights department has had a busy month of October, 2012. With a total of 48 reported cases during the month, the load for the month of October nearly doubled from that of September, 2012

16 out of the 48 cases reported in October, 2012 involved grievous complaints from prison inmates around the state who have been subjected to unfair treatment as a result of their beliefs. This includes actions such as confiscation of religious turbans when they are being worn in accordance with the Washington state Department of Corrections (DOC) policy on religious headwear, as well as refusal to allow individuals to eat unless they take their religious turbans off. CAIR-WA has brought these complaints, as well as an awareness of the general abuse and harassment inmates receive from corrections officers in response to their religious practices, to the attention of the DOC. We are now working with the DOC to resolve these issues.

In addition to working on cases, the CAIR-WA Civil Rights team attended various events in the community, including the Hate Crimes Forum sponsored by the Seattle Human Rights Commission, a training on working with refugees and immigrants in crisis, and follow up with the board members of the Puget Sound area mosque that received a bomb threat in September, 2012 (including a meeting with several officials from the Department of Justice).

Below is a brief overview of the cases we received this in October, 2012, with several stories highlighted in detail.

Overview of cases – 48 total complaints received in October, 2012

2 cases of hate mail including an Islamophobic response to an article CAIR-WA had published in the Seattle Times Op-Ed section.
5 cases of criminal offenses against people or property, including one woman who had a gun pointed at her by a fellow car driver while wearing hijab and driving on I-5.
2 cases of lack of public accommodation, including a man who was forced to move after getting a protection order against a roommate.
7 cases of employment discrimination, including one man who was fired for being under investigation after having been found innocent of an erroneous accusation.
8 cases involving government agencies, including one woman who has been unable to bring her husband over from Morocco for over two years.
4 cases of school misconduct, including one child who was forced to leave his school after suffering severe harassment and not receiving faculty support.
16 cases of prisoner letter complaints with regard to their treatment and lack of adherence to mandatory religious accommodations.
4 general complaints including a man who needed advice on how to deal with being issued a subpoena.

Select civil rights case studies from October, 2012:

On October 2nd, 2012, a Muslim employee of a Seattle-area medical center contacted CAIR-WA to report that he does not have access to an appropriate space for prayer in his workplace. His employer has provided a “quiet room” that is set aside for employee use; however that room is very small and often used by others for quiet conversation or other purposes which prevent its use for prayer. As a result, the man has often had to skip prayers after running out of time while waiting for the room to become available on his breaks… Click here to read full story

On October 29, 2012, a Muslim middle school student in northwestern Washington came home to report to her father that she had been taught inappropriate and inaccurate views about Muslims at school. While discussing an anti-bullying program in class that day, the student’s science teacher had brought up Hitler and the rise of the Third Reich. Then suddenly she changed topics and said that “just like Hitler,” Muslims train their children from birth to give their life to Allah and become martyrs. She further stated that Muslims are raised and taught to kill innocents. Knowing better than this, the straight-A student raised her hand to question her teacher’s statement and ask from where she had gathered her information. The teacher’s reply was: “From a video I watched on Muslims”… Click here to read full story

On Thursday, September 28, 2012 two FBI agents knocked on the door of a home located in the greater Seattle area.The resident is a US citizen of Afghan descent, who has lived in the U.S. for over 30 years.When she answered the door, the agents flashed their badges, then began asking very personal question without further explanation eventually bringing the woman to tears… Click here to read full story

Case Digest for September, 2012 (compiled by civil rights intern Thea Marriott)

While CAIR-WA had the typical back-to-school dip in cases, with only 18 reported during the month of September, 2012, there was a rise in serious offenses including hate mail and crimes against individuals.

Ten out of eighteen cases reported in September, or 56%, involved hate mail sent to CAIR, local mosques, or other Muslim organizations, physical and verbal attacks against Muslims, and one case of an actual attack on the car rented by a group of Muslim students. These attacks spiked during Ramadan (from around mid-July to mid-August), and have remained high since. Several factors may contribute to this including the increased visibility of Islam and Muslims during Ramadan, world events such as the attack on the US embassy in Libya, the anniversary of 9/11, and the continued, politicized language about Islam and Muslims in media and political circles.

CAIR-WA will soon launch a comprehensive “Safety Toolkit” for mosques and Muslim organizations across the Northwest, complete with presentations to educate community members on their rights, encourage them to report incidents, and have preparedness and response plans for anti-Muslim hate attacks specific to their location/building. The launch of this campaign is anticipated to begin in November, 2012. In the meantime, CAIR-WA has been providing Know Your Rights presentations to affected communities targeted by these attacks.

Below is a brief overview of the cases we received this month, with several stories highlighted in detail.

Overview of cases – 18 total in September, 2012

6 cases of hate mail including a bomb threat made to a mosque in the Puget Sound area
4 cases of criminal offenses against people or property including one Muslim man who was chased down the street by another man yelling “Death to you!” and another man who was egged on a street corner in Bellevue, WA while walking home from the masjid at night.
3 cases of public accommodation including possibly discriminatory zoning laws being used against a local mosque to prevent expansion
3 cases of employment discrimination including an employee of a Washington school district who was transferred to another school after filing a discrimination complaint against several coworkers and supervisors
1 case involving USCIS for a US citizen’s application for her husband’s visa
1 general complaint regarding an offensive logo on the bottom of a Fila shoe that looked like the name of Allah in Arabic

Select case studies:

1. On September 4, 2012, a group of eight Muslim men, who are all students at local colleges, rented two cars and drove to Lake Chelan, WA to jet ski on the lake. They parked their cars in the parking lot of the jet ski rental shop and left the car unattended while jet skiing, from 5:30 to 8:00 that evening. When they returned, they found one of their cars vandalized with racist slurs and pornographic images. In black ink the words “sand ni***r” and “doon coon” were written on the side of the car. Scratched into the paint were two images – one of male genitalia and one of female breasts.Shocked and offended, the men reported the incident to the local police department…Click here to read the entire case study

2. On September 24, 2012,a Muslim man living in rental housing was informed that on Sept. 27, there would be a canine bed bug inspection of all apartments in his building.Not wanting to contaminate his home with dog saliva, the man immediately called his resident manager and left several messages asking for another method of inspection to be used on his unit because of his family’s religious abstention to contact with dogs. On September 26, the housing manager finally replied and stated that in order to be excused from canine inspections the man would have to complete a form and provide a letter from a religious leader to confirm his religious beliefs. However, even then the manager would be unable to prevent a canine inspection of his home the next day because of the short notice. Feeling desperate, the man contacted CAIR-WA and spoke with a member of its Civil Rights Department…Click here to read the entire case study

3. On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 a mosque in the Puget Sound area received a bomb threat intheir email inbox. Its subject line, the e-mail sent by Josh Standlee, a 26-year old man from Mukilteo, WA, read “Peace and Love” and the email itself stated: “Kindly get the f*** out of [city name] before more bombs go off, please. Don’t make me draw a cartoon of Muhammad.” Given the recent wave of shootings, arsons, and bombings targeting mosques around the United States, the mosque community was extremely alarmed by this threat. A mosque board member immediately called the local city police…Click here to read the entire case study

CLICK HERE to read case Log for August 2012(compiled by civil rights intern Thea Marriott)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for July, 2012 (compiled by civil rights intern Thea Marriott)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for June, 2012 (compiled by civil rights intern Thea Marriott)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for May, 2012 (compiled by civil rights coordinator Jennifer Gist)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for March-April, 2012 (compiled by civil rights coordinator Jennifer Gist)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for January-February, 2012 (compiled by civil rights coordinator Jennifer Gist and civil rights intern Anum Ahmed)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for November - December, 2011 (compiled by civil rights intern Anum Ahmed)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for April 7, 2011 to October 26, 2011 (compiled by civil rights interns Imaad Khan and Anum Ahmed)

CLICK HERE to read the case Log for March 1, 2011 to April 6, 2011(Compiled by former CAIR-WA civil rights intern Annie Kucklick)

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From the desk of CAIR- WA Civil Rights Intern Annie Kucklick

I have compiled a list of the past month's case summaries. The following synopses give a brief glance at what the civil rights team has been working on throughout the month of March and the beginning of April. As demonstrated by the quantity of cases recorded in this summary, our civil rights department has been extremely busy with intake and follow- up. We encourage community members who have faced possible discrimination, to contact our office with your cases so that we may work to resolve them. As a chapter of America's largest Muslim civil rights organization, our goal is to restore justice for those who face discrimination and to work toward ensuring equal treatment of American Muslims.

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Building results-focused working relationships is essential to CAIR WA’s mission of promoting justice through mutual understanding. CAIR-WA works everyday with organizations representing diverse communities and initiatives. Our partners from various faiths, ethnicities, and social economic backgrounds have stood to protect the freedom of American Muslims and mutual understanding. We continue to build results-focused relationships with more than 350 leaders in faith, labor, business, government, conservative and liberal politics and others, so that all fair-minded Americans are moved to challenge anti-Muslim bigotry and speak publicly about the lives and contributions of the American Muslims they know.


	Arab American Community Coalition of Washington State Formed by concerned members of the Arab American community after 9/11, the AACC and CAIR WA share similar concerns about addressing racial/ religious profiling of Arab and Muslim Americans. We have worked together on anti-profiling efforts through the Japanese American Citizens League, and always look for ways to support each other’s efforts to make the Arab and Muslim American communities safe.
	The Church Council of Greater Seattle The Church Council of Greater Seattle is a prominent leader in the Christian and interfaith communities on issues of social justice, and has worked with CAIR-WA on a variety of concerns. The Church Council and CAIR-WA have partnered on supporting port truckers’ rights in Seattle (through Puget Sound Sage’s efforts), collaborating on Interfaith Advocacy Day, as well as Executive Director of the Council, Michael Ramos, speaking out against the Rep. King hearings in spring 2011. These, along with many other collaborative efforts have made CAIR-WA and the Church Council partners in interfaith justice.
	American Civil Liberties Union The local chapter of the ACLU has been an incredible ally for CAIR WA. CAIR-WA and the ACLU have worked on civil rights cases together, with the ACLU frequently taking on cases of violations and discrimination. Additionally, as the ACLU proactively works for legislation that protect civil liberties, and opposes that that does not, CAIR WA stands in support of the ACLU. Most recently, this has included CAIR WA supporting the ACLU in opposition to the Washington state Attorney General’s proposed HB 1126. Additionally, ACLU spoke out against the Rep. King hearings recently.
	Japanese American Citizen League JACL Pacific Northwest and its Seattle chapter have worked closely with CAIR WA on fighting racial profiling through community forums, educating on the parallels between the discrimination of the Japanese Americans and American Muslims, and uniting youth of color to reflect on their identities and work for a more just future.
	The Lutheran Public Policy Office The LPPO and CAIR WA have frequently worked as partners on issues of social justice legislation. LPPO is an active and visible force for change in Washington state politics, and has collaborated with CAIR WA on Interfaith Advocacy Day, has worked in collaboration with The Church Council, Puget Sound Sage and other organizations to support port truckers, and with the ACLU on various legislation. CAIR WA seeks to work further with LPPO for fair laws in Washington and to energize Christian and Muslim communities to be civically engaged.
	The Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington MELAW takes many referrals from CAIR WA clients to connect them to pro bono attorneys of Middle Eastern descent. MELAW has helped numerous CAIR WA clients and we look forward to strengthening our partnership to more community education about the help available through the talented pool of attorneys participating in MELAW.
	One America Somewhat similarly to the Arab American Community Coalition, OneAmerica formerly Hate Free Zone) began in the wake of anti-Arab and Muslim sentiment following 9/11. Since then OneAmerica has evolved into a multi issue organization, particularly focusing on civil rights, immigrant rights and immigration reform, and civic engagement of minority communities. CAIR WA and OneAmerica have held candidate forums, hosted the Director Of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for the Department of Homeland security, and worked together on the Washington Immigrant Rights Coalition. OneAmerica has been and continues to be a strong ally for CAIR WA and we look forward to supporting comprehensive immigration reform and other important issues that OneAmerica works on.
	Puget Sound Sage A prominent advocate for laborers and working families, Puget Sound Sage has been another valuable ally for CAIR WA. Puget Sound Sage brings together faith, labor, and community leaders to work for economic justice. CAIR WA and Puget Sound Sage have collaborated on various pieces of legislation, most recently relating to truckers at the Port of Seattle and airport workers at SeaTac Airport. Puget Sound Sage continues to be a strong ally of CAIR WA’s work, and we look forward to supporting one another’s initiatives in the future.
	UFCW Local 21
	Washington Association of Churches Another strong interfaith ally of CAIR WA has been the Washington Association of Churches (the WAC). The WAC is politically active and frequently mobilizes its members on issues of social concern. CAIR WA and the WAC worked together on the Interfaith Advocacy Day this year, as well as supporting one another on issues of common concern, and having Executive Director, Alice Woldt speak out against the Rep. King hearings in the Spring.
	Washington Community Action Network (WA CAN) is a vocal advocate for ensuring real democracy in Washington state. WA CAN works on issues of economic justice, health care, immigrant rights, racial justice, and small businesses. WA CAN and CAIR WA have spoken out together against racial profiling and rallied together in Olympia on Martin Luther King Jr. day this year. Additionally, WA CAN came out to support CAIR WA in speaking out against the Rep. King hearings. We look forward to continuing our work together to make Washington a more fair and equal state for all.
	East African Community Services A prominent organization in the East African community in Seattle, East African Community Services (EACS) has provided resources to CAIR WA’s clientele of East African descent and CAIR WA gave a Know Your Rights presentation, including a Know Your Rights video in Somali. CAIR WA seeks to support the work on EACS in educating the Muslim East African community about their rights and the resources available to the community.
	The Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center The IPJC is “sponsored by sixteen religious communities and collaborates with Catholic, ecumenical, interfaith and other organizations in carrying out this mission” and works for social justice domestically and abroad. CAIR WA co-sponsored IPJC’s interfaith women’s conference this spring and IPJC’s Executive Director, Sister Linda Haydock, came to speak at CAIR WA’s press conference condemning the hearings by Representative Peter King. CAIR WA looks forward to supporting the important justice work of IPJC.
	St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral CAIR WA is looking forward to co-sponsoring the “Confronting Islamophobia” conference with St. Mark’s church. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is well known as a powerful voice for justice and ecumenical relationship building. Additionally, Reverend Mesenbring spoke at the Rep. King condemnation press conference in support of the Muslim community. CAIR WA seeks more opportunities to collaborate with St. Mark’s and the Christian community.
	The Central District Forum A vibrant celebration of African American arts, the Central District Forum for the Arts and CAIR WA collaborated to put on the screening of “Prince of Slaves” at Seattle University with Ilyasah Shabazz speaking. As CD Forum puts on events related to the American Muslim experience, CAIR WA looks forward to supporting the visibility of the African American Muslims through the arts.
	Legal Voice Recently acquainted, CAIR WA and Legal Voice, a leading women’s legal rights organization, have recognized many possibilities for collaboration, including increased support for CAIR WA’s female Muslim clients, ideas for connecting to pro bono attorneys, and considering the specific civil rights issues Muslim women may face.
	Asian Counseling and Referral Services ACRS is a leader in the Northwest for counseling, wellness, and advocacy for Asian and Asian Pacific Islanders. ACRS has been a leading voice for increased access to mental health services, violence prevention, and culturally appropriate health care. CAIR WA and ACRS have both been in opposition to HB 1126 and have been worked against that bill through the ACLU’s advocacy.
	Southwest Youth and Family Services A significant number of clients that Southwest Youth and Family Services serves are Muslim, including many Somali and Iraqi families. CAIR WA and SWYFS are seeking opportunities to serve the needs of the Muslim clients at SWYFS, through Know Your Rights presentations, civil rights advocacy, and cultural sensitivity training.
	CASA Latina Casa Latina serves the local Latino American community in providing work opportunity, English language classes, and advocate for worker justice. CAIR WA is working to support Casa Latina and their Worker Defense Committee in their recent campaign to fight Wage Theft, and both participate in the Washington Immigrant Rights Coalition.
	The Non Profit Assistance Center The NAC serves local non profits in capacity building, various trainings, consultation, and building stronger non profits for social change. CAIR WA staff has gained a great deal of insight from NAC’s training and also hopes to work with NAC on issues of common concern in the social justice non profit community.