We Will Not
Stay Silent

May peace and blessings be upon you. As we reflect on the last year and a half, it is with deep pride and gratitude that we present this Impact Report with you. We hope to be able to convey all of the tireless efforts from our team and our community to advocate against injustice, protect the rights of Muslim Americans and to uplift our community.

We did not stay silent.

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About CAIR-Ohio

CAIR-Ohio, founded in 1998, is a civil rights and advocacy organization empowering Ohio Muslims. CAIR-Ohio is one of 35 chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and has office in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.

Our Work

Through legal representation, education, media relations, and advocacy, we empower the American Muslim community and encourage participation in political and social activism. We counsel, mediate, and advocate on behalf of Muslims and others who have experienced discrimination, harassment, or hate crimes. Our lawyers work to protect and defend the constitutional rights of Muslims and immigrants through our pro bono legal services.

Mission

CAIR-Ohio's vision is to be a leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding.

Vision

CAIR-Ohio's mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil liberties, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

How
We
Help

Legal +
Advocacy

Our legal team provides free legal services to Northern-Ohio Muslims facing religious discrimination and lslamophobia.

Civic
Engagement

We engage in non-partisan lobbying and advocacy to complement our legal work and empower Ohio Muslims.

Media

We issue press releases and appear on local and national media outlets to amplify the concerns of Ohio Muslims and educate the broader public.

Interfaith

Foster mutual understanding, collaboration, and respect among diverse faith communities, strengthening unity and promoting a more inclusive and supportive community.

Youth
Empowerment

We provide interactive workshops and mentorship opportunities to help students gain a deeper understanding of advocacy, leadership, identity, and civic engagement while connecting with peers who share similar values and backgrounds.

Education +
Outreach

We provide educational material and training on civic engagement, civil rights, and inclusion. We partner with advocacy and faith-based organizations to empower all marginalized people.

Our
Impact

By the numbers

As Muslim communities in Ohio grow, we see it as our responsibility to further engage and amplify the voices of our communities. These numbers represent the hard work and dedication of the CAIR-Ohio team at the forefront of advocacy and empowerment.

200+

Responses to incidents from incarcerated individuals

44+

Community empowerment programs, including educational workshops

540

Ohio voters reached through direct voter contact

2k+

Emails sent to government officials. Seven Action alerts created.

70+

Civic engagement events. Including town Halls, voter registration drives, testimonies and meetings with elected officials

12+

Youth engagement events

Our
Work
In
Action

We protect and defend constitutional rights through legal representation, education, media relations, and advocacy – empowering the American Muslim community and encouraging participation in political and social activism. We counsel, mediate, and advocate on behalf of Muslims and others who have experienced discrimination, harassment, or hate crimes.

Advocating against harmful bills that impact Ohioans

CAIR-Ohio actively mobilized communities and partners to oppose harmful legislation—including SB 1, the “Higher Education Killer Bill”; HB 1 and SB 88, the “Racist Xenophobic Bills”; and the IHRA Anti-Free Speech Bill, which we successfully defeated in Ohio.

Defending students’ rights

CAIR-Ohio stood up for students facing discriminatory or harmful administrative actions by filing three Title VI complaints against Columbia Station School District, Beachwood School District, and Case Western Reserve University—the latter of which was opened for federal investigation.

Working against systemic racism

The team hosted four Racial Justice & Equity Workshops in Cleveland and Toledo, while also ensuring the religious rights of incarcerated individuals were upheld by distributing Ramadan memos to more than 100 jails and institutions and providing over 150 Eid meals to fasting Muslims at the Cuyahoga County Jail.

Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium at city hall

We were honored to be hosted by Councilman Slife of Ward 17, who helped organize this impactful segment of our program. He spoke with students about local government and increasing community representation in Cleveland, and presented each participant with an official City of Cleveland certificate.

Protecting Democracy

Protecting democracy by removing barriers to minority voter participation through registration drives, educational initiatives, and four candidate forums, while also joining the ACLU to challenge Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s unlawful voter suppression efforts.

Board

The CAIR-Ohio Board consists of passionate community leaders and advocates fighting for the protective rights of Ohio’s Muslim Americans, using their experience to uplift our community.

A’isha A. Samad
President
Faheem Shaikh
Vice President
Mohammad Sohrabi
Treasurer
Melaak Rashid
Secretary
Ahmed Khaja
Dr. Ihsan Ul Haque
Dr. Suhad Hadi
Humera Khan
Jameel Burkett
Mohammad Faraj
Wali Ahmed Shariff

Staff

Faten Husni Odeh
Executive Director
Nida Imam
Legal Fellow
Mariam Omara
Executive Assistant
Natalie Hale Esq.
Staff Attorney
Ameera Rasoul
Communication Intern
Kelsey Swain
Civic Engagement Intern

Get
Involved

Volunteer

your time and skills to support community outreach and events

attend

educational workshops, trainings, and civic engagement programs

Sign up

for our email list to receive action alerts and community updates

Partner

with us to host events or collaborate on outreach efforts

Your support helps CAIR-Ohio amplify and defend the voices of the Islamic community across Ohio and beyond.

Connect

  • Instagram
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  • LinkedIn

Dear Community Members,

May peace and blessings be upon you. As we reflect on the last year and a half, it is with deep pride and gratitude that we present this Impact Report with you. We hope to be able to convey all of the tireless efforts from our team and our community to advocate against injustice, protect the rights of Muslim Americans and to uplift our community.

It has been, without a doubt, a very difficult eighteen months. The horrors our Muslim community is facing around the globe from Palestine to Sudan to the streets of Cleveland and beyond is unprecedented. In 2022, only 60 incidents from the community were reported to us, in 2023 that number skyrocketed to more than 400 incidents and in 2024 more than 500 incidents were reported to our Cleveland and Northern Ohio chapter. These incidents ranged from students from pre-school to universities being targeted and bullied by not just their classmates but also by their school administrators and staff.

We did not stay silent.

With every waking moment and sometimes into the night, we made noise. We used all our tools and resources to make sure justice was at the feet of our community members who had been harmed both here and abroad. We protested in the streets and we walked the halls of Congress and let our lawmakers know their complicity would be met with accountability.

We filed three Title VI complaints to advocate for the rights of our students and we joined the ACLU to challenge the Secretary of State, Frank LaRose for his unlawful restrictions on naturalized citizens’ right to vote.

When the IHRA definition of antisemitism/anti-free speech bill appeared without notice from Ohioans, we noticed it and rang the alarm bells across Ohio. We worked every minute we could with community members and allies, to stop this bill from passing and we succeeded. A feat that no other state has been able to achieve.

When a young single mother of five had all her children taken away from her due to what we believe to be a case of discrimination, we were able to have her children returned to her.

Alhamdulilah, we didn’t only put out fires but we hosted programs for community empowerment like our Muslim Leaders Retreat, our Muslim Civic Leadership Experience, our Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium, our Know Your Rights workshops and our Racial Equity and Justice workshop series along with our inaugural CAIR to Lead: Elevating Women’s Voices Luncheon and Panel. These programs are designed to build power, confidence, and leadership within our community — and they are only possible because of you.b>

Your unwavering support, trust, and generosity fuel everything we do. And while we take pride in what we've accomplished together, the work is far from over.

With your help, we will continue to strive for the best for our community. We will not rest until equality and justice is has extended to our children so that they may grow up in the world confidently, unapologetically and wonderfully Muslim Americans.

Sincerely,

Faten Husni Odeh
Executive Director

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