(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 6/26/18) — The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) today denounced the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision announced this morning to allow the Muslim Ban 3.0 to remain in effect.
WATCH: CAIR-OK News Conference Reacting to the Supreme Court Decision
https://bit.ly/2lzx6YP
In a 5-4 decision, the court reversed an injunction that had — until December 2017 — prevented the Trump administration from using the Muslim Ban 3.0 as a basis for denying visas to foreign nationals from eight affected countries.
In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor wrote: “A reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was driven primarily by anti-Muslim animus, rather than by the Government’s asserted national-security justifications. Even before being sworn into office, then-candidate Trump stated that ‘Islam hates us.’”
“The Supreme Court made it clear today that the onus will continue to be on the Muslim community and its allies to push for not just and end to the Muslim Ban, but also for just and inclusive laws and for lawmakers who will stand with us in the fight for equality,” said CAIR-OK Government Affairs Director Lani Habrock. “Members of all faith minorities lost today, but the day is not over. Today here in Oklahoma is an election day, and today Oklahoman’s can send a message at the ballot that bigotry, even nationally sanctioned bigotry, is not acceptable.”
In a statement in reaction to today’s ruling, CAIR Oklahoma Executive Director Adam Soltani said:
“Like millions of American Muslims, I am a proud American and believe in the promise of America. With the support of my wife and my community, I work every day to do what I can to defend and uphold the Constitution, so that the promise of America remains true for my sons.
“Our fight continues. The fights for religious freedom and justice for all immigrant families do not end here. The right to live in peace and be treated justly no matter one’s race, ethnicity or religion is too important to let one person, one president, one decision destroy it.
“We will continue to fight for Muslim families and communities, to pursue legal avenues on behalf of impacted people and to demand that legislators take action to end the Muslim Ban.
“Most importantly, we will continue organizing, mobilizing and defending Muslim communities from bigoted policies—whether they are endorsed by the Supreme Court or not.”
In its decision, the Supreme Court granted extreme deference to the Trump administration, which gives the administration the green light to inject discrimination back into the immigration system.
Since the Trump administration’s first attempt to ban Muslim immigration to the United States, CAIR has filed legal challenges to each of the ban’s permutations.
SEE CAIR’S First Muslim Ban Lawsuit:
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/31/sarsour_v_trump_palestinian_american_activist
In the Supreme Court, CAIR had filed an amicus brief on behalf of six individuals who successfully obtained an injunction against Muslim Ban 3.0 from a federal court in Maryland.
The brief — filed in the wake of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s decision in February declaring Trump’s Muslim ban unconstitutional – states in part: “The injuries suffered by the [plaintiffs] are beyond the pale. If they are beyond the power of the courts to remedy, we fear for what is yet to come.”
[NOTE: CAIR and the Brennan Center for Justice filed the lawsuit in October 2017. On appeal, that case, Zakzok v. Trump, was consolidated with two others and was jointly decided by the Fourth Circuit.]
SEE: ‘The Words of the President’ Doom Trump Travel Ban, Fourth Circuit Says
In December of last year, CAIR applauded the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ unanimous decision against the Trump administration’s “Muslim Ban 3.0.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.