Check out Know Your Rights resources by National Lawyers Guild. The following booklet provides information about rights when approached by law enforcement or government agencies (police, FBI, ICE, etc.), and rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression.

Find the resources she shared with attendees in multiple languages here.

Here is important information for immigrants & refugees from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen in the wake of #MuslimBan executive order.

Details

During this era, there is an urgency to build a stronger social justice movement against all forms of oppression. This discussion will bring together members from anti-racism, worker rights, immigrant & refugee rights, anti-Islamophobia movements, and allies from all social justice movements. We will discuss challenges faced by these movements and how to build stronger links with other movements. Join us in our discussion on how to link our struggles and build a stronger social justice movement!

We will offer transportation for the participants, if needed. Interpretation services for Spanish speakers will also be provided. For more questions, contact info@MuslimsForSocialJustice.org

Partners/Co-Organizers
Black Workers for Justice
Freedom Manifesto/Black Liberation Unity Committee(BLUC) Study Group
Muslims for Social Justice
UE Local 150
Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia
NC-United for Refugees and Immigrants (Refugee Rights)
AIME (Abrahamic Initiative on the Middle East)
Project South
Triangle Unity May Day Coalition

 

Facebook Event Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/800355696783110/

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“Know Your Rights” workshop

 

When: Wednesday, January 18, 2017. 6PM – 8:30PM

Where: As-Salaam Islamic Center/Vital Link School

1214 E Lenoir Street

Raleigh, NC 27610

 

Details

With the current political climate, there is concern among many groups about how to handle encounters with law enforcement. In particular, many Muslims were approached by the FBI the weekend before the election. 

Azadeh Shahshahani will be presenting legal information about your rights when approached by any law enforcement or government agency (police, FBI, etc), and your rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression. An internationally recognized human rights lawyer, Azadeh is the current Legal and Advocacy Director for Project South. She is past resident of NC, and previous president of the National Lawyers Guild. 

Learn about Project South here:
http://projectsouth.org/

This workshop is open to absolutely anyone who feels they or their community may be targeted by law enforcement and government agencies, whether local police departments, FBI, TSA, NSA, etc. Groups that are often targeted by these agencies include people who are or are associated with Muslims, African Americans, immigrants, Latinos, and South Asians.

 

This event is hosted by As-Salaam Islamic Center and organized by Muslims for Social Justice. Sponsored by Muslim American Public Affairs Council (MAPAC).

 

Snacks will be provided.

 

Facebook Event Page

https://www.facebook.com/event s/1868209573434774/

Join and help build the People’s Assembly.  The past few weeks have shown us just a glimpse about what we are up against at the state and Federal levels. The recent convening of 2017 Session of Congress announced major plans to attack health care and Federal employees rights on their first day. Trump has appointed corporate and Wall St. executives and enemies of the working class and oppressed peoples to his cabinet, wealthy elites that hate the very people their departments are designed to safeguard. The right-wing in Raleigh is trying to maintain their control of the Governor’s office and has made power grabs altering control in many state departments. We have to fight back and our movements MUST DIG DEEPER INTO OUR COMMUNITIES, SCHOOLS AND WORKPLACES if we are to be more united than ever.

We must develop the People’s Assembly as the front line of resistance, uniting all the organizing forces in our communities, schools and workplaces and engaging newly active people.  At the last assembly ON December 4TH 2016 we had representatives from many of the local struggles for Black, immigrant, Muslim,  worker, woman, environmental and electoral rights and  power. But we must continue to unite and learn from the many other battlefronts and struggles that are fighting back. We must learn lessons from each other’s practice, struggle and organizing, so that we can raise our collective  mass political consciousness. We must learn together about the critical role and timely need for the Peoples Assembly organizing process as  an independent political action necessity in 2017!  

We need your help to develop a People’s Assembly process to serve as a fundamental component of sharing reports,  learning from each other, strengthening a democratic, bottom-up grassroots movement to engage a stronger vision and  struggle for  working peoples power and transformative change in our communities, workplaces and society.

Facebook Event Page

https://www.facebook.com/events/1784925505164852/

Extraordinary Ventures

200 S Elliott Rd

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Dear Sir/Madam,

As Triangle community members, we value the important work by Extraordinary Ventures, including services for autistic and developmentally challenged youth, and providing a venue for important events.

We have been saddened to learn that on Tuesday, October 18, 2016, ICON will invite Diana West to speak at Extraordinary Ventures in Chapel Hill, NC. This is a disturbing development for peace and justice loving community members in the Triangle and beyond.

Diana West has been known for virulent hatred against Muslims and immigrants. She has contributed to the paranoia that Muslims want to take over the country and establish their religious law (Shariah law) in violation of the local and federal laws. Writing in a website WND.com (WND spearheaded conspiracy theories about Obama’s U.S. citizenship and challenged validity of birth certificate released by the Obama White House), West has said, “If our leaders really wanted to prevent ‘another 9/11, they would have long ago admitted the obvious: that the world of Islam, from its terrorists to its kings, is engaged in the latest historical cycle of jihad to extend the reach of Islamic law (Shariah). They would have decided that ‘profiling’ isn’t worse than terrorism. They would have halted Islamic immigration not only to stop more jihad cells from forming but also to prevent Constitution-endangering, pro-Shariah demographics from forming, too.” (source, 6/13/13)

Diana West has also endorsed Donald Trump’s xenophobia against immigrants. While writing in a website by Frank Gaffney (quoted as “anti-Muslim conspiracist and gadfly” by The Washington Post), West opined,“I think that what we are both reacting to is … the normalcy of his [Donald Trump’s] reaction to a crisis. He reacts, even though he’s an extraordinary human being that is in a category by himself for all manner of reasons, he is reacting like a normal person would react to the loss of a border, to the invasion by alien hordes, to this destruction of America as a sovereign nation, and I think that what we see happening…” (source, 8/26/15)

Learn more about Diana West HERE.

In the past, ICON lecture series has invited such racist and bigoted speakers:

• Roy Beck, who has spoken at white nationalist organizations like Council of Conservative Citizens.
• Jim Simpson, who believes that immigrants are trying to “destroy the culture” in the United States.
• Mark Krikorian, who asserted that Muslims are a “vicious people” and they celebrate 9/11 as a Muslim holiday.
• John Guandolo, who claimed that the goal of the Muslim Students Association is to “recruit jihadis” and “spread disinformation”.

Hate speech has real life consequences for the marginalized communities. Muslims, and immigrants in general, have been demonized and dehumanized by the forces of hate. Laws and policies have been introduced against them, including in North Carolina, as a result of concerted efforts by these forces. Diana West has contributed to the hysteria against Sharia law, which has led to the anti-Sharia movement throughout the country, including in North Carolina. NC General Assembly members passed anti-Sharia law that was signed into law by Governor McCrory in 2013. In a study of 100 anti-Sharia laws introduced in the country, it was found that 80% of these laws were introduced by the same legislators who introduced voter suppression, anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, anti labor union and anti-immigrant laws (source).

There is a dramatic rise in attacks against Muslims as a result of hate speech and institutional Islamophobia. Muslims, and people perceived as Muslims, are attacked and murdered throughout the country. Three Muslim students were murdered in execution style in Chapel Hill in early 2015, an incident that many believe was an anti-Muslim hate crime. Victims of that heinous crime, Deah, Yusor and Razan, belonged to Muslim Students Association, the same organization that was demonized by Guandolo.

As Triangle community members, we urge Extraordinary Ventures to say no to the voices of hatred and bigotry. Many of the speakers invited by ICON series have played a role in institutional oppression against Muslims and immigrants. Hosting such bigoted voices at Extraordinary Ventures will harm marginalized communities and negate the mission of Extraordinary Ventures. We request Extraordinary Ventures to cancel Diana West’s upcoming speech and the future lecture series by ICON. We look forward to working with you to build a peaceful, just and loving community.

(A version of this letter will be emailed to ICON)

Signed by,

Organizations

Abrahamic Initiative on the Middle East

Black Workers for Justice

Jewish Voice for Peace – Triangle NC

Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia

Muslims for Social Justice

Triangle May Day Unity Coalition

Triangle SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)

Witness for Peace Southeast

Diana West Invited to Speak at ICON event in Chapel Hill

Triangle based organization ICON (Issues Confronting Our Nation) organizes regular talks by anti-Muslim and anti-immigrants speakers. They will invite conservative speaker Diana West to Chapel Hill on October 18th at 7pm at Extraordinary Ventures located at 200 S Elliott Rd. in Chapel Hill, NC.

Who is Diana West? (courtesy of the Center for New Community)

Diana West is a controversial, anti-Muslim author and columnist with ties to the greater organized Islamophobia movement, both in the United States and internationally. West regularly purports that Muslims are a “fifth column” in the United States who, like the Communists of old, are actively working to infiltrate the U.S. government and other cultural institutions with hopes of overthrowing them from within. She regularly advocates the religion of Islam is incompatible and antithetical to Western values. Her two books, Death of Grownup and American Betrayal, serve as a base for her Joseph McCarthy-esque conspiracy theories.

West’s bigotry and paranoia, however, is not exclusive to Muslims. It also extends to Latino immigrants and refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East. She also regularly derides “multiculturalism,” once calling it a “Messianic cult.” West has made it clear she is no fan of so-called “political correctness,” a topic she will be discussing at length during the upcoming ICON series event. In the name of being politically incorrect, West has advocated for the ongoing surveillance of Muslim communities and for Muslim houses of worship to be shut down. She is also a proponent of Donald Trump’s controversial and arguably unconstitutional ban on Muslim immigration into the U.S.

In fact, West has taken a hardline nativist stance against all immigration from non-Western countries. She has previously claimed immigrants from Latin America are leading to the “Hispanization” of the U.S. and accused our country of admitting “diseased aliens for Central America.”

She has also lamented that “non-assimilable” refugees from the Islamic world are “being imposed on communities across the country.”

Embraced by controversial, racist figures

West’s rants and writings have helped her gain access and acceptance among various far-right and white nationalist figures. She is a weekly guest on “Secure Freedom Radio,” a radio program headed by notorious anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy. She has also received a reward from Gaffney’s outfit for her works. Additionally, she contributed t a conspiratorial publication spearheaded by Gaffney and his group titled Shariah: The Threat to America.

In 2015, West was a featured speaker at a Writers’ Workshop event organized by white nationalist publishing house The Social Contract Press. The annual workshop is the brainchild of eugenist and founder of the organized anti-immigrant movement, John Tanton. West’s work has also been upheld by the virulently anti-immigrant VDARE.com, a website founded by notorious white nationalist Peter Brimelow.

West also keeps ties with international anti-Muslim figures. Most notably being far-right Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders. In 2014, West came out in support of Wilders during a time when members of his political party were deflecting after the parliamentarian led supporters in an anti-Moroccan immigrant chant during a campaign rally, a spectacle some spectacle some have hyperbolically claimed was akin to to Nazi Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels’ famous 1943 speech. West said she saw nothing wrong with the chants because “Moroccans top the charts in criminality” and in “social dependence.” She later defended Wilders by posing the question: “Is it ‘racism’ to oppose the demographic obliteration of a nation clearly underway?”

Diana West in her own words:

“We are watching Islam purifying to its most basic element with Islamic State’s actions. We are looking at Islam activated, weaponized, deployed.” (source, 2/4/15)

“The goals of Islam are quite similar to the goals of communism. As interms of ideologies they stack up with many similarities as terms of the totalitarian nature, the collectivism nature, the global reach. The notion of one world, all people are the same, global government, no borders.” (source, 6/17/13)

“It doesn’t matter what country they (immigrants) come from or what religion they are or what language they speak, they are different, they are strangers. And when you have such large masses of people coming in as foreigners, there can be no nation. There can only be accommodation of people who will need all kinds of services, all kinds of training, all kinds of welfare, etcetera.” (source, 1/13/16)

“If our leaders really wanted to prevent ‘another 9/11, they would have long ago admitted the obvious: that the world of Islam, from its terrorists to its kings, is engaged in the latest historical cycle of jihad to extend the reach of Islamic law (Shariah). They would have decided that ‘profiling’ isn’t worse than terrorism. They would have halted Islamic immigration not only to stop more jihad cells from forming but also to prevent Constitution-endangering, pro-Shariah demographics from forming, too.” (source, 6/13/13)

“I think that what we are both reacting to is … the normalcy of his [Donal Trump’s] reaction to a crisis. He reacts, even though he’s an extraordinary human being that is in a category by himself for all manner of reasons, he is reacting like a normal person would react to the loss of a border, to the invasion by alien hordes, to this destruction of America as a sovereign nation, and I think that what we see happening…” (source, 8/26/15)

“What’s happening in Europe is happening here, we have a similar immigration phenomenon coming up from Latin America, primarily, and … many others from across the world coming across our borderless southern flank. But this is the same thing we’re seeing with the immigration coming into Europe. This is the destruction of the West, this is the population replacement of the West by the rest of the world, by what we call the Third World, by the Middle East, by Islam, by Africa, by South America, this is all happening and it needs to be understood in a totality.” (source, 11/25/15)

This is essentially the attack, the twin attack of multiculturalism — which, of course, is a form of Marxism — overlaying with the Islamic incursions by demographics. And I think this has to be understood as a demographic war, which we can take to our own shores, not necessarily completely in Muslim demographics, but just the entire immigration tsunami we are experiencing that includes many people from Islamic countries, from the Middle East and elsewhere, but also huge masses from the rest of the world, primarily Mexico and South America, Central America. (source, 4/15/16)

More About Diana West
West is a conservative columnist and co-Vice President of the International Free Press Society (IFPS), a self-described “international advocacy group for free speech,” which in reality is nothing more than a coalition against all things Islam. Just as Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer unleash hateful, anti-Muslim-and-Islam blog posts under the auspices of defending the First Amendment, IFPS does as well. Video from that recent conference reveals West proclaiming, “We’re not going to make any friends in Islam.”
Unsurprisingly, (Frank) Gaffney shares West’s opinions and—guess what—he’s on IFPS’s Advisory Board.
Source: http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2013/02/11/numbersusa-director-appears-on-anti-muslim-islam-radio-show/

West’s collaboration with anti-Muslim and nativist forces
West is a long-time activist within the so-called “counter-jihad” movement serving as both the Vice President of the International Free Press Society – a coalition of anti-Muslim journalists and bloggers – and the Washington Correspondent for Lars Hedegaard’s weekly newspaper Dispatch International. Additionally, West often collaborates with Frank Gaffney by serving as a frequent guest on his radio program and co-writing the conspiratorial CSP publication Shariah: The Threat to America with Gaffney and other anti-Muslim extremists, including Tom Trento and John Guandolo.
Source: http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2013/09/13/diana-west-noted-islamophobe-to-be-honored-by-center-for-security-policy/

West’s anti-immigrant remarks
During the July 9 (2014) episode of his radio program, Gaffney invited his colleague and fellow Islamophobe, Diana West, to push the theory that these (migrant) children are part of the Democrat’s grand scheme to import voters and usher in the “socialization of America.” In order to support such a claim, West told Gaffney many of these children coming into the country come from “big government” countries, and thus, they would be more likely vote for Democrats. West further supports this by citing certain polls that claim three out of four Hispanics are more likely to for big government, which runs counter to Republicans views of having limited government interference.

As a result of this exposed plot, West was adamant against these children receiving refugee status. She warned this was “not simply a humanitarian response, but a political assault using children from other countries to destroy the population of this country.”

West’s comments may sound extreme, but they represent the quintessential fears expressed by navitists. They continue to fear immigrants will transform the country, turn it into something unrecognizable and further challenge their entrenched and misguided beliefs of what it means to be American.
Source:  http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2014/07/15/west-migrant-children-are-part-of-democrats-plan-to-boost-voter-base/

Video of Diana West creating paranoia of Muslim taking over the country
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGLBXLEiCvg

ICON series background

The ICON (Issues Confronting Our Nation) continues to invite controversial and problematic individuals to speak at its events. Some of which include:

Roy Beck, the president of the anti-immigrant grassroots organization NumbersUSA. In March 2016, Beck wrote in an article that current immigration policies to the U.S. have created “enabling pools” where criminals and terrorists “can easily swim out of sight of the authorities.” Previous events Beck has spoken at include a meeting of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a notorious white nationalist organization. http://www.iconlectureseries.com/archives/2856

James “Jim” Simpson, a conservative author and speaker who works closely with anti-Muslim groups like the Center for Security Policy. Simpson has taken a hardline stance against Muslim immigrants and refugees coming in the nation. He previously accused liberals of being in support refugee resettlement and immigration policies so that they can “destroy the culture” and “create a huge pool of voters” that they can use to institute “despotic governments.” Simpson recently published a book where he claims the political left are trying to “erase” America with immigrants through “mass migration.” http://www.iconlectureseries.com/archives/3056

In May 2017, Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the anti-immigrant think tank the Center for Immigration Studies, is scheduled to speak on the impact of mass migration into the U.S. Krikorian has previously called Muslims a “vicious people” and once suggested that 9/11 is a Muslim holiday. In a 2015 op-ed, Krikorian stated, “[r]elocating refugees from the Middle East to the U.S. is morally wrong.”

On August 14, 2016, members of MERI Coalition group Muslims for Social Justice hosted a forum entitled Challenging Racism and Islamophobia. Around 70 people attended at the As-Salam Islamic Center in Raleigh.

Orange County Peace Coalition Commemorate Memorial Day

From Huffington Post article:

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has been recognized as a progressive town in North Carolina and the U.S. South. Home to one of the oldest public universities in the nation, this town has played an important role in the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement and other social justice movements.

The town of Chapel Hill welcomed Syrian refugees, in response to Gov. Patrick McCrory’s call to halt the future resettlement of Syrian refugees in North Carolina. Chapel Hill’s progressive character was on display during Memorial Day commemoration on May 30, 2016. Titled “Hearing the Voiceless: Refugees at Home and Abroad,” this event commemorated the sacrifices of the veterans, as well as, the suffering of the victims of wars, including the refugees.

The event on Monday displayed hard work by Jan, Wes and dozens of organizers ranging from organizations like Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – Triangle, Veterans for Peace – NC Triangle Area, Charles M. Jones Peace and Justice Committee of the Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist, Balance and Accuracy in Journalism, Coalition for Peace with Justice, Peace and Social Concerns of Chapel Hill Friends Meeting, and Elders for Peace. The event featured proclamations by the towns of Chapel Hill and Carboro that honored the lives of men and women of the armed forces who sacrificed their lives. These proclamations also called for building a peaceful society and helping the victims of war, including the refugees fleeing from violence and the aftermath of war. Speeches were interspersed by cultural performances and eulogies for the victims of war. Triangle chapter of the Raging Grannies offered powerful performances to highlight the sufferings caused by wars and occupations.

The highlight of the event was the focus on refugees and a rise in Islamophobia. A relatively peaceful and progressive town of Chapel Hill became a global headline when three Muslim students were murdered there last year. Institutional forms of oppression against Muslims and other marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ community, have increased in North Carolina in the recent years. North Carolina General Assembly passed transphobic law, House Bill 2, earlier this year that also robs such municipal powers as increasing the minimum wage. North Carolina General Assembly passed anti-Sharia law in 2013. A version of that bill was tied to legislation on women’s reproductive health.

These developments have emphasized the need to build an intersectional movement that connects campaigns against Islamophobia, homophobia, racism, sexism, anti-immigrant attacks, anti-worker attacks and other oppressions.

Read more here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/manzoor-cheema/can-we-remember-refugees_b_10231454.html

NC Council of Churches Hosts a Presentation on Islamophobia

Manzoor Cheema from the Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia (MERI) and Muslims for Social Justice, made a presentation titled “Challenging Racism and Islamophobia” at North Carolina Council of Churches meeting on June 7, 2016. This meeting took place at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro, North Carolina. This talk explored racialized oppression against Muslims, African Americans, Jews, Japanese and other communities throughout the history; intersection between Islamophobia and other oppressions; and identified steps to confront this oppression.

About North Carolina Council of Churches:

The North Carolina Council of Churches was founded in 1935. We are a statewide ecumenical organization promoting Christian unity and working towards a more just society.

Our Mission Statement:
The Council enables denominations, congregations, and people of faith to individually and collectively impact our state on issues such as economic justice and development, human well-being, equality, compassion and peace, following the example and mission of Jesus Christ.

Background:
While the Council is itself overtly Christian, many of the committees and task groups are interfaith, including members from non-Christian faith communities. Several committees also include members of Christian denominations which are not part of the Council of Churches. Through this work, we live our motto: Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice.

Our members include 25 judicatories of 17 denominations and eight individual congregations. Across the state, our members have over 6,200 congregations with about 1.5 million congregants.

The North Carolina Council of Churches is not the local chapter of either the National or World Council of Churches. While we share the two goals of ecumenism and justice and our memberships are drawn from many of the same religious traditions, there are no structural connections between us. The North Carolina Council of Churches is actually thirteen years older than the World Council of Churches and fifteen years older than the National Council.

Learn more here:
http://www.ncchurches.org/about/