(CLEVELAND, OH, 10/26/2003) – On October 25, 2003, the Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations was awarded the ACLU Liberty’s Flame Award for its civil rights work on behalf of Muslims in America. The prestigious award was given to CAIR at the ACLU of Ohio’s 30th Annual Civil Liberties Awards Presentation. At the event, which marked the second anniversary of the passage of the USA Patriot Act, the ACLU honored CAIR-Ohio for its “action and courage defending the civil liberties of Muslims, immigrants and of all Americans in a time of national crisis.”
Accepting the award was Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, President of the Ohio Chapter of CAIR. “During these trying times,” Dr. Al-Akhras said, “when many of our basic rights have been trampled on, and when many voices have been intimidated to speak up, this award comes as a solace to us telling us that we are on the right path.”
Crediting his dedicated board, staff, and corps of tireless volunteers, Dr. Al-Akhras said, “Over the past five and a half years, CAIR-Ohio has been working very hard to make it a reality that Muslims, like everyone else in America, have basic rights.” He said that since 9/11, CAIR’s work has become even more challenging because the profiling and discrimination faced by Muslims in the past has now become institutionalized in measures such as the Patriot Act.
Despite the difficulties, Dr. Al-Akhras felt confident that those dedicated to CAIR’s mission would prevail. He said that CAIR-Ohio’s work reflected what Gandhi had said about bringing change: “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” He thanked the ACLU for supporting CAIR and for working to ensure that the constitutional protections enshrined in the Bill of Rights apply to all.
Also honored that evening with the Liberty’s Flame Award was Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) for their “tireless dedication to improving the lives of refugees and immigrants with compassion and support for their rights, in a climate of intolerance and fear.” Professor David Harris, Balk Professor of Law and Values at the University of Toledo College of Law, gave a keynote speech on how the USA Patriot Act violates the fundamental separation of powers enshrined in the US Constitution.
CONTACT: Julia A. Shearson, 216.830.2247 or 216.440.2247, E-Mail: jshearson@cair.com; Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, 614.989.5916; Ibrahim Hooper, 202.488.8787 or 202.744.7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com