Council on American-Islamic Relations New York (CAIR-NY)

Background

Council on American-Islamic Relations New York is a local chapter of the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim-American advocacy group. ¹

Since the 9/11 attacks, CAIR has consistently maintained that the U.S. government is targeting Islam itself in the war on terrorism and has violated the civil liberties of Muslims. ² The organization works exclusively on domestic civil rights causes without involvement in foreign policy activism. ³ CAIR-NY’s 2020 Annual Report showed that the organization raised more than $562,000 that year. ⁴

In 2017, CAIR-NY published a joint statement with Columbia Law School’s Public Rights/Private Conscience Project to oppose then-President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.” The executive order was designed to protect religious speech against federal government retaliation. ⁵ The CAIR-NY statement asserted that “Trump’s order signals an intent to construe religious exemptions more broadly than in the past; such wide discretion is likely to disproportionately protect majoritarian beliefs, perhaps at the expense of religious minorities and other marginalized communities.” ⁶

Black Lives Matter Movement

After the death of George Floyd, Council on American-Islamic Relations–New York published webinars and petitions aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement. ⁷ In its “Criminal Justice Reform: Beyond the Conversation” webinar, the organizers asserted that “The murder of George Floyd is yet another emblematic atrocity of state-sanctioned violence, through which many Black brothers and sisters are brutalized by racism within policing.” ⁸ CAIR-NY also has promoted a petition to defund the Minneapolis Police Department, a move that some claim has caused a significant increase in crime in the area. ^{7 9}

In September 2022, CAIR-NY published a Bias and Hate Crimes report, which alleged that Muslim individuals vastly underreported hate crimes or “bias incidents” that they had experienced. ¹⁰ The report also suggests New York City implement education programs and partner with community-based organizations such as CAIR-NY. ¹⁰ The report was widely distributed, and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a statement in support of the report’s findings. ¹¹

Immigration

Council on American-Islamic Relations–New York has advocated for left-of-center immigration policies hostile toward U.S. border enforcement. In 2018, the organization sent a letter to then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and then-House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) urging both members to stop any additional investment into Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ¹² CAIR-NY sent the letter jointly with other left-of-center organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition, Sisters of Charity of New York, and 32BJ SEIU, among others. ¹²

Additionally, CAIR-NY filed numerous amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court that opposed attempts by the Trump administration to reverse the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. ¹³ CAIR-NY filed the briefs despite concern by some critics that DACA was an illegal policy. ¹⁴ CAIR-NY has also published, in conjunction with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, tip sheets for undocumented immigrants to show them how to oppose ICE agents. ¹⁵

Leadership

Zead Ramadan is chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations–New York as of 2017. ⁴ He has also served on the boards of UMEZ, Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, CB12M, ARC XVI Senior Center, and the West Harlem Development Corporation. ¹⁶

Afaf Nasher was involved with CAIR-NY management as early as 2015. She was previously board president but later transitioned to serve as the chapter’s executive director. Previously, she worked as a commercial litigation associate at Rossi and Crowley, LLP. ¹⁷