Council On American Islamic Relations

CAIR was founded in 1994 with headquarters in Washington, D.C. CAIR-Washington State is one of 33 chapters and was incorporated in 2003.

CAIR's mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims,and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.CAIR-Washington the local Washington state chapter of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) serving the neighboring Northwest. CAIR is the nation?s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR-Washington is a not-for-profit organization. Though it leverages the resources, expertise, and knowledge base of CAIR (based in Washington D.C.), it functions as an independent organization that sets its own strategy and goals. Our work at CAIR-Washington spans four different areas: CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES Firstly, we deal with civil rights issues, taking up complaints ranging from bigoted gestures to official discrimination against Muslims. We create logs for incidents and pursue the appropriate remedying measures which can range from cultural sensitivity training for the perpetrating party to all out legal measures. We also record every case and release reports to educate the public about the civil rights plight of Muslims. POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT Secondly, we are involved in political empowerment helping community members understand and utilize the political system to work for them. Projects include voter registration drives, community workshops, ?know your rights? educational campaigns, and training of mosques and Muslim centers on how to contact local and national politicians. MEDIA MONITORING Thirdly, we are involved in media monitoring. We monitor the local media closely and flag bias against Muslims. We respond accordingly to editors and producers with letters, phone calls, or meetings. We mobilize the community in letter writing campaigns to reinforce feedback sent to the media. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Lastly, we are involved in community outreach. We forge mutually beneficial partnerships with local and national institutions whose activities overlap with CAIR-Seattle in order to maximize efficiency. We work to empower the Muslim community and to foster an understanding between Seattle?s Muslim and non-Muslim communities via public education, and to serve the needs of the greater Seattle community via public service.