Category: News

(CLEVELAND, OH, 10/2/2025) – The Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged Ohioans and all Americans to call on their State and Federal Representatives and Senators to demand the immediate release of U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Phil Tottenham of Toledo, Ohio, who was kidnapped by Israeli forces while participating in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

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The flotilla, comprised of more than 40 smaller boats, was carrying humanitarian aid in an effort to end the forced starvation of Gaza’s civilian population. Tottenham and fellow civilian volunteers were seized by Israeli forces in violation of international law.

Ohioans are demanding that their representatives take swift action to secure Tottenham’s release and ensure the protection of all U.S. citizens participating in peaceful humanitarian missions abroad. Advocacy organizations are urging constituents to contact their Members of Congress and the White House to hold Israel accountable and defend Americans exercising their right to provide humanitarian aid.

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla is part of an international campaign to end the blockade on Gaza and deliver essential medical supplies to women, children, and other civilians in desperate need. Tottenham’s courageous efforts reflect the growing movement among U.S. veterans and activists who are standing up for justice and human rights.

In a statement, CAIR- Cleveland Executive Director Faten Husni Odeh said:

“Phil Tottenham, an Ohio veteran who put his life on the line for this country, is now being unjustly held for standing up for human rights. His abduction by Israeli forces is not only a violation of international law but an assault on the values we claim to uphold as Americans—freedom, justice, and the protection of those who act with conscience. Every elected official has a moral and constitutional duty to intervene immediately. Silence is complicity, and Ohioans will not stand silent while one of our own is targeted for delivering humanitarian aid.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/
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CONTACT: CAIR-Cleveland & Northern Ohio Executive Director, Faten Odeh (216) 830-2247, fodeh@cair.com

(CLEVELAND, OH 6/26/25)- COLUMBUS, OH – June 26, 2025 – On Tuesday, June 24th, 2025, CAIR- Ohio joined The Ohio Chinese American Council (OHCAC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other multiple advocacy organizations, community members, and land justice advocates at the Ohio Statehouse to rally in opposition to the discriminatory statue of House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88. These bills, threaten to undermine local control over property lines and land use, have raised widespread concern among civil rights, immigrants, and faith-based groups across the state.

CAIR-Ohio opposed HB 1 and SB 88 claiming it will create a racist impact on historically marginalized communities, including Muslim, immigrant, and refugee populations who have long faced discriminatory zoning practices and displacement. This is textbook racial profiling against hardworking Ohioans which the state is built on.

Full text of Senate Bill 88 and House Bill 1 Ohio Property Protection Act: SB88“, HB1

During the rally, CAIR-Ohio Executive Director, Faten Odeh, said – “Being silent, being quiet and trying to be out of the way, doesn’t get us anywhere, it is time that we make noise and make noise together.”

Watch CAIR-Ohio Speech Here

The rally featured speakers from multiple grassroots coalitions and impacted Ohioans who urged lawmakers to understand the violation of human rights this bill introduces, and urged community members to speak up and call their representatives to vote NO on HB 1 and SB88.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s Twitter Feed
Tweets by CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/
CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh (216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com

(CLEVELAND, OH – 5/30/25) – On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, hundreds of community members from across Ohio welcomed Mehdi Hasan at the City Club of Cleveland.

The forum was titled, The Mehdi Hasan Unfiltered: A Conversation on Politics, Media, and the State of Democracy and was brought to the community by The Siddiq Forum on the Islamic World

Mehdi Hasan, Editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo, spoke about important topics such as why he decided to leave MSNBC and start his own media company. He also spoke about how viewers can find the truth in journalism, along with topics such as how the media spreads misinformation about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Moderating the forum was News 5 reporter, Nadeen Abusada, who covers stories on Brook Park, immigration and the Middle Eastern communities. During the discussion they spoke about unfiltered journalism, and the importance of having media that represents the truth.

Additionally, during the forum Abusada opened the floor for attendees and livestream viewers to ask Hasan more questions.

Mehdi Hasan stated, “You want to talk about what shocked me, why I think it’s been such a media failure is because we’ve been able to see in real time the double standard. For years people like me would say there are double standards. We cover this conflict in a way we don’t cover that conflict. We apply this rule here, not there. In this Gaza situation we’ve seen it in real time because there’s a place called Ukraine.”

CAIR-Ohio Executive Director, Faten Odeh, stated, “It has been a real delight to see speakers at the City Club that resonate with the Muslim community. We are grateful to the Siddiq Forum on the Islamic World for bringing such a dynamic speaker to such an important free speech forum.”

Mehdi Hasan Unfiltered | The City Club of Cleveland | May 28, 2025

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s Twitter Feed
Tweets by CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/

CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh (216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com

By: Malaak Sulieman

(CLEVELAND, OH – 5/29/25) – On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in response to the recent attacks held against immigrant workers by the ICE raids, the criminalization of free speech, and the weaponization of immigration status, Neoworker Center hosted a solidarity session with CAIR-Ohio Executive Director-Faten Odeh, along with Director of Major Gifts, National Domestic Workers Alliance-Larisse Mondok, and Ohio Worker Center organizer- Ricardo Morales Vivero at Happy Dog in order to examine how federal attacks are being used to divide workforces. Along with teaching about how immigrant workers and allies are fighting back and resisting these attacks.

During the session Odeh spoke about the effects of how these attacks have contributed to a climate of fear and vulnerability among Muslim and immigrant communities in the workplace.

“To take our right to free speech is difficult for the government to do…so they are using immigrants as examples, to silence us, to make us feel the fear…we are telling citizens they need to step up and keep on exercising our free speech. If we stop exercising our rights, we’re not going to have any.”

Mondok spoke about his position at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and some of the most significant national trends that she is seeing in terms of renewed attacks or pressures on immigrant workers, particularly those in domestic work.

Northeast Ohio Worker Center | Supporting Workers Rights in Ohio

Vivero explained why operating at the intersection of labor and immigration is so important and what role community organizations play in helping workers fight back along with what more could be done to support these efforts.

“A lot of workers can be surprisingly brave when it comes to risk-taking and that makes sense when you understand this motives for coming here [United States].”- Ricardo Morales Vivero

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s Twitter Feed
Tweets by CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/

CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh (216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com

By: Malaak Sulieman

(CLEVELAND, OH – 05/27/2025) – On Friday, May 23rd, 2025, in response to the aid blockade, imposed by Israel since March 2nd, 2025. CAIR-Ohio, Doctors Against Genocide, Veterans for Peace, Jewish Voice for Peace, Cleveland Peace Action and others hosted an emergency press conference in Cleveland to bring awareness to the ongoing blockade as situations in Gaza continue to worsen. According to the Ministry of Health, there have been 57 children reported dead due to malnutrition since the blockade began on March 2nd.

During the press conference, CAIR-Ohio leadership, including Jenna Muhieddine, alongside Doctors Against Genocide Member Dr .Ahmad Jadallah, and more such as Basma Karaja and a US army veteran Louis Pumphrey, expressed their concerns and explained the effects of this ongoing blockade. Furthermore, in order to describe the results of the blockade Dr. Jadallah recounted the details included in the genocide UN health report, which gave a deeper understanding of the devastating outcomes that ensue from this blockade.

Doctors Against Genocide, Dr. Ahmad Jadallah statement-“What is happening there is affecting our healthcare here as the billions spent destroying lives there could be used to provide local healthcare dollars here. Also, I have spoken to a lot of community members here whose mental health has suffered as a result of this genocide and the frustration their concerns are not being addressed. This is not good for the Palestinian American community or those around them.”

Watch Doctor Ahmad J.’s Speech

CAIR-Ohio’s Engagement Coordinator, Jenna Muhieddine, stated, “Let’s stop softening the language. What’s happening in Gaza is not just a crisis. It is mass starvation by design. This is famine as a weapon of war. This is the purposeful denial of food, water, and medicine to over 2 million people—half of them children. And this is being done with American weapons, with Western complicity, and with global silence.”

Watch Jenna M.’s Speech Here

Doctor’s Against Genocide UN Report

Moms and Grandma’s against Genocide, Basma Karaja, stated, “Mothers in Gaza carry their children twice. Once when they give them their life, and are born, and once when their lives are taken away.”

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s Twitter Feed
Tweets by CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/

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CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh
(216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com

CLEVELAND, OH – 5/19/25 – On May 17, CAIR-Ohio participated in the 2025 Cleveland Marathon, joining over 11,000 runners in a citywide celebration of health, resilience, and community. For the second year in a row, CAIR-Ohio sponsored Team Palestine, a powerful initiative aimed at raising awareness and funds for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), an organization providing life-saving medical care and humanitarian relief to Palestinian children.

CAIR-Ohio’s Executive Director, Faten Husni Odeh, crossed the finish line side-by-side with Estelle Raskin, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Cleveland. Team Palestine was represented by a diverse and passionate group of runners who not only completed the race but also helped raise funds and awareness for Palestinian children in need.

Jenna Muhieddine, Civic Engagement Coordinator at CAIR-Ohio Cleveland, said: “What a privilege to run in safety, while others run for survival. #FreePalestine.”

Through physical endurance and collective action, Team Palestine reminded marathon spectators and fellow runners that advocacy can take many forms—from the streets to the finish line.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/

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CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh
(216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com

CLEVELAND, OH – 5/6/25 – On May 1st, CAIR-Ohio, in partnership with the Cleveland Palestine Advocacy Community (CPAC), held the final session of the Racial Justice & Equity Training workshop series for the SWANA & Black Muslim community at First Cleveland Masjid. This workshop series, a crucial initiative aimed at fostering greater understanding of race, power, privilege, and oppression within the Cleveland Muslim community, included three impactful sessions.

The first session, held at Beit Hanina Community Center (BHCC) on April 3rd, and was facilitated by Imam Abderhaman Justin Wood. The second session, hosted at Urban Community School on April 10th, featured a panel discussion with Faten Husni Odeh, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio; Aisha Samad, President of CAIR-Ohio Cleveland & Northern Ohio Chapter; and Ali Reza, Esq., from the Case Western Reserve University Social Justice Institute. The final session, held on May 1st, was facilitated by Joe Black, from the Cleveland Foundation.

More than 20 participants, including local officials from Cuyahoga County, completed the series and were awarded certificates for their participation. The series aimed to strengthen community bonds, tackle issues of racial justice, and deepen the understanding of intersections between race and religion in the Muslim community.

Faten Odeh, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio, shared “Early on in my career at CAIR-Ohio, uniting the Cleveland Muslim community had been a major goal of mine. We’ve often been divided by culture, proximity, and various challenges, but initiatives like this show us that we are stronger together. We hope that this workshop series is just the beginning of many efforts that bring us closer, inshaAllah.”

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland
Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland
Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/

CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh (216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com

CLEVELAND, OH – 3/5/25 – On April 28-29, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in collaboration with the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), attended the 10th Annual National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with the theme “Defending Rights, Shaping Policy.” This year, CAIR-Ohio lead a Cleveland and Northern Ohio delegation joining hundreds from across the nation. The delegation was represented by Executive Director Faten Husni Odeh, along with staff members Gia Hamed and Jenna Muhieddine, and community members Selma Babiker and Misky Shaeye.

During the event, the delegation met with congressional offices to advocate for critical issues affecting Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in the United States. Key areas of focus included protecting free speech and nonprofit advocacy rights amid growing legislative threats and McCarthy-style investigations, opposing discriminatory travel bans, and urging U.S. action to end genocide and human rights abuses in Gaza, Sudan, China (Xinjiang), and Burma (Myanmar). Additionally, the team called for support of key Muslim community legislation and emphasized the importance of empowering marginalized groups through policy reforms.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team for their dedication and powerful advocacy during Muslim Hill days,” said Faten Husni Odeh, Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio. “Our work on Capitol Hill is vital in raising awareness about the challenges our community faces. It’s essential that we continue to stand together and urge lawmakers to take action, creating a future where all communities are treated with dignity and respect.”

The CAIR-Ohio team, including Hamed, Muhieddine, Babiker, and Shaeye, engaged in thoughtful conversations with elected officials, sharing personal stories and providing insights into the urgent need for action on these issues.

“This experience reiterated the importance of engaging with our representatives. They have a duty to represent the interests of the people they represent and it’s our duty as Muslim American citizens to ensure our voices are heard ,” said Selma Babiker, community member and participant. “We are thankful for the opportunity to advocate for our rights and to urge Congress to take meaningful action on behalf of those who are suffering due to discriminatory policies and human rights violations.”

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

Become a Fan of the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/CAIRCleveland

Subscribe to the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio’s YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@caircleveland

Follow the Cleveland chapter of CAIR-Ohio on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/cairohiocleveland/

CONTACT: CAIR-OH Executive Director, Cleveland & Northern Ohio, Faten Odeh (216) 440-2247, fodeh@cair.com