CAIR Welcomes Settlement for Anti-Muslim Bias at Texas Apartment Complex
Muslim civil rights group sought 2010 HUD probe of religious discrimination
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed a settlement in a housing discrimination lawsuit in Texas for discrimination against people of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent. Under the agreement, $107,000 in civil penalties and $210,000 in a damages fund will be paid by owners of an apartment complex in Euless, Texas.
SEE: Justice Department Obtains $317,000 in Discrimination Settlement with Euless, Texas, Apartment Complex
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/January/14-crt-018.html
"No American should be denied access to housing because of their faith, ethnicity or national origin," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
In 2010, CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate allegations that the apartment complex had a policy of refusing to rent to Muslims or segregating them in buildings away from other tenants.
CAIR: Texas Apartment Complex Refused to Rent to Muslims
The Washington-based council called on HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to determine whether StoneBridge at Bear Creek apartment complex violated federal fair housing laws.
Former leasing agents for the complex say Muslims, whom managers referred to as "curry people," were routinely refused apartments even when there were vacancies. The leasing agents said they were told by their supervisors that they could only rent to Muslims if they were all kept in two buildings of the 21-building complex.
VIDEO: Texas Apartment Complex Refuses to Rent to Muslims
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNAgbxtljKc
Also today, CAIR's Philadelphia chapter called on a college in that state to repudiate the extremist anti-Muslim rhetoric of a scheduled speaker.
In a letter to Mark Volk, president of Lackawanna College in Scranton, Penn., CAIR-Philly Executive Director Jacob Bender expressed "the Muslim community's deep concern and dismay at the decision of Lackawanna College and the Jewish Discovery Center to sponsor and promote a public lecture at Lackawanna College by Mordechai Kedar this coming Sunday January 12."
SEE: CAIR Asks Penn. College to Repudiate Extremist Views of Anti-Muslim Speaker
In California, CAIR's Sacramento Valley announced that local mosques will offer a prayer for rain tomorrow (January 10) to help relieve the ongoing drought that is impacting area residents and agriculture.
CAIR: Sacramento-Area Muslims to Pray for Rain
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR's E-Mail List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR Communications Manager Amina Rubin, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: [email protected]
SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations
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