Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) New York is a chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a controversial Muslim-American advocacy group. The New York chapter has litigated in support of left-of-center interests, particularly on immigration and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. CAIR-NY has advocated defunding police departments and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

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. ^{9 10}

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. ¹¹ The report also suggests New York City implement education programs and partner with community-based organizations such as CAIR-NY. ¹² The report was widely distributed, and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a statement in support of the report’s findings. ¹³

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. ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵

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. ¹⁶ CAIR-NY filed the briefs despite concern by some critics that DACA was an illegal policy. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸

Leadership

Zead Ramadan is chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations–New York as of 2017. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰

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. ²¹

1. “About Us: Vision, Mission and Service.” CAIR New York. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://www.cair-ny.org/about-us.
2. CAIRtv. “Video: CAIR-NY Director Afaf Nasher Says 9/11 Forced American Muslims to Speak up for Themselves.” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Sept. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxWe4_BAUOs&ab_channel=CAIRNational.
3. “About CAIR-NY.” Squarespace, CAIR-NY, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/t/591a03626b8f5b0cc9ebbbcd/1494877034897/Trifold+5.5.2017.pdf.
4. Annual Report 2020. CAIR-NY,. 2021, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/t/621e48d308046870f79b4ae2/1646151899988/Annual+Report-2021.pdf.
5. ^[1] “The Federal Register.” Federal Register. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/05/09/2017-09574/promoting-free-speech-and-religious-liberty.
6. ^[1] “Joint Statement by CAIR-NY and Other Organizations Re 2019 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Appropriations.” CAIR-NY. Dec. 3, 2018. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/t/5c0578c24d7a9c179541885c/1543862466745/November+2018+-+DHS+FY+2109+Appropriations+Sign+on+Letter.pdf.
7. “Black Lives Matter Resource Center.” CAIR-NY. https://www.cair-ny.org/blmresources
8. “Criminal Justice Reform: Beyond the Conversation.” CAIR-NY. https://web.archive.org/web/20201119081548/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MCU22IGIAzTYrWg7l8X8VVdsCOjKvWAeqDU52B-PikI/edit.
9. “Black Lives Matter Resource Center.” CAIR-NY. https://www.cair-ny.org/blmresources.
10. “How City Once Called ‘Murderapolis’ Became Center of ‘Defund the Police’ Movement, Now Grappling with Violent Crime Spike.” CBS News. Sept. 26, 2022. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/how-city-once-called-murderapolis-became-center-of-defund-the-police-movement-now-grappling-with-violent-crime-spike/.
11. “Feeling the Hate: Bias and Hate Crimes Experienced by Muslim New Yorkers.” CAIR-NY. Sept. 2022. https://www.cair-ny.org/feelingthehate.
12. “Feeling the Hate: Bias and Hate Crimes Experienced by Muslim New Yorkers.” CAIR-NY. Sept. 2022. https://www.cair-ny.org/feelingthehate.
13. “Thank You @Newyorkstateag for Your Statement.” Twitter. Sept. 8, 2022. https://twitter.com/CAIRNewYork/status/1567979403401138176.
14. “Joint Statement by CAIR-NY and Other Organizations Re 2019 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Appropriations.” CAIR-NY. Dec. 3, 2018. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/t/5c0578c24d7a9c179541885c/1543862466745/November+2018+-+DHS+FY+2109+Appropriations+Sign+on+Letter.pdf.
15. “Joint Statement by CAIR-NY and Other Organizations Re 2019 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Appropriations.” CAIR-NY. Dec. 3, 2018. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/t/5c0578c24d7a9c179541885c/1543862466745/November+2018+-+DHS+FY+2109+Appropriations+Sign+on+Letter.pdf.
16. “Testimony, Briefs & Statements.” CAIR-NY. https://www.cair-ny.org/cairny-testimony.
17. Sullivan, Eileen. “Appeals Court Says Daca Is Illegal but Keeps Program Alive for Now.” New York Times. Oct. 6, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/05/us/politics/daca-appeals-immigration-biden.html.
18. “Know Your Rights: If ICE Stops You in Public.” CAIR-NY. 2017. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/1505236524302-JK2C81ET50TTXIL1PW8W/Know+Your+Rights+brochure+%28English%29?format=500w.
19. Annual Report 2020. CAIR-NY. 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57db6af7f7e0abec41695d80/t/621e48d308046870f79b4ae2/1646151899988/Annual+Report-2021.pdf.
20. “Staff.” West Harlem Development Corporation. https://westharlemdc.org/about-us/staff/.
21. “Meet the Team – Board of Directors & Staff.” CAIR-NY. https://www.cair-ny.org/meet-the-team.