CAIR-MI

On Saturday, Sept. 11, the Wayne County Sheriff department arrested a White woman that assaulted a Muslim African American woman on a flight from Atlanta to

A Muslim civil rights group is calling on Wayne County prosecutors to file hate-crime charges against a woman who was arrested over the weekend for...

According to the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department, the woman was cited for assault and disorderly conduct.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations is calling on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for the vandalism of the entrance sign and periphery lighting of an Islamic center on the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Lawsuit filed against Michigan prisons for violating Muslim religious libertiesDETROIT — The Michigan branch of the Council on American and Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) has filed a lawsuit against the state’s prison system for violating religious liberties of Muslim inmates. An attorney for CAIR-MI, Amy Doukore, said it’s not only a violation of religious rights, but women’s rights as well. “It’s embarrassing, it is humiliating and it is degrading for Muslim women,” she said. Doukore said this is one of a series of lawsuits CAIR-MI has filed because it believes that the MDOC is not taking Muslim religious rights seriously. “We have a dedication to our Muslim brothers and sisters facing incarceration to protect their religious liberties,” she said.

click to enlarge Shutterstock.comThe Michigan chapter of the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) for forcing women to remove their hijab for mugshots.The lawsuit represents more than 15 women who are Muslim or members of the Moorish Science Temple of America and were asked to remove their religious headscarves. The images were used for their ID cards and are featured on MDOC's publicly accessible database of inmates.“The stripping of the hijab for a Muslim woman is equivalent of making a non-Muslim woman walk around topless or shirtless in front of men and then publishing them to a website,” CAIR-MI staff attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, told Fox 2 News . “It's embarrassing, it is humiliating, and it is degrading for Muslim women.”Most of the inmates who came forward are housed at the women's Huron Valley Correctional facility in Pittsfield Township.CAIR-MI's executive director Dawud Walid says MDOC's operational procedures for photos is a violation of the inmates' religious beliefs and freedoms, which are protected under federal law.“It is unfortunate and ironic that MDOC, which holds Americans in its custody for legal violations, is not following the law when it comes to reasonably accommodating the religious rights of Muslims,” Walid said in a press release The lawsuit, filed Monday, is not the first CAIR has filed against MDOC for violating Muslim religious rights. Fox 2 reports that since the organization began receiving hijab-related complaints in 2017, they have made attempts to work alongside MDOC and Huron Valley administrators in correcting policies regarding the removal of hijabs for photos.According to Doukoure, MDOC made no effort to address these violations.“It is really important that people understand just because they are incarcerated that doesn't mean they lose their religious liberties,” she said.Fox 2 reached out to MDOC for comment regarding the pending litigation but provided no comment other than they had received it and are in the process of reviewing the claims.

Photo via Terry Oparka/C&G NewspapersTROY A lawsuit was filed on Thursday accusing the City of Troy of violating the religious rights of a Muslim group after denying zoning approval to build a mosque. The City of Troy is one of the largest communities in Michigan in both land size and population, said Amy Doukoure, CAIR-MIs attorney. Troy said as of Thursday afternoon that it had not seen the lawsuit and did not have any comment. Troy is obligated to treat religious assemblies and institutions on equal terms with nonreligious assemblies and institutions, said Matthew Schneider, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. This denial violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 and imposed a substantial burden on the centers religious exercise, the complaint states.

Photo via Terry Oparka/C&G NewspapersTROY A lawsuit was filed on Thursday accusing the city of Troy of violating the religious rights of a Muslim group after denying zoning approval to build a mosque. The city of Troy is one of the largest communities in Michigan in both land size and population, said Amy Doukoure, CAIR-MIs attorney. Troy officials said as of Thursday afternoon that they had not seen the lawsuit and did not have any comment. Troy is obligated to treat religious assemblies and institutions on equal terms with nonreligious assemblies and institutions, said Matthew Schneider, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. This denial violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 and imposed a substantial burden on the centers religious exercise, the complaint states.

YPSILANTI, Mich. - A couple claims they were discriminated against at the Tim Hortons restaurant in Ypsilanti in June. ORIGINAL STORY: CAIR-MI files complaint against Ypsilanti Tim Hortons on behalf of Muslim womanWatch the vide below for the report:The couple recorded the incident on video inside the Tim Hortons. "Its the cheapest thing on the menu.Kouider said they were in the drive-thru at the Tim Hortons on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti. "She said, 'Im not going to serve you and if you have a problem, you can go to the other Tim Hortons thats down the street. Local 4 contacted Tim Hortons, who released the following statement:We always want team members and guests to have a positive, welcoming and rewarding experience at our restaurants.