American Muslim Charities Urge President to Fulfill Cairo Pledge

In this update:

•Muslim Advocates, American Muslim Charities Urge President to Fulfill Cairo Pledge
•NYC Charities Seminar Produces Large, Enthusiastic Response
•Muslim Advocates Attorney Training Prepares NY-NJ Lawyers to Help Community

Muslim Advocates, American Muslim Charities Urge President to Fulfill Cairo Pledge

Today, Muslim Advocates and 19 other American Muslim charities - a snapshot of the breadth of civic, educational, social service and international aid institutions serving the needs of Muslims and non-Muslims, locally and around the world - sent a letter to President Obama asking him to fulfill a commitment he made to American Muslims in his Cairo address last June: to ease federal restrictions on charitable giving and simplify their ability to exercise their civic responsibility and religious obligation to give zakat.

The letter urges President Obama to "...ease hurdles to charitable giving through critical, immediate regulatory and administrative action," while pointing out that "many American Muslims have faced federal law enforcement scrutiny of their giving or associations with lawful, U.S. charities and, as a result, are understandably fearful of giving."

NYC Charities Seminar Produces Large, Enthusiastic Response

More than 150 imams, board members and executive officers from mosques and nonprofit organizations gathered to have their most pressing questions about financial and legal obligations answered during a free seminar at New York Law School on Saturday, March 6, 2010. The all-day event was hosted by Muslim Advocates in partnership with the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, Muslim Consultative Network and the Association of Muslim Lawyers. Read more about the seminar.

Muslim Advocates Attorney Training Prepares NY-NJ Lawyers to Help Community

On March 4, 2010, Muslim Advocates held an in-person training in New York City for local lawyers interested in representing clients approached by law enforcement officials for questioning. The training provided over a dozen attorneys with information about representing clients during FBI interviews and the legal ramifications for individuals who choose to speak with law enforcement officials. Held at the law firm of Patterson Belknap, the training was co-sponsored by the Muslim Bar Association of New York (MuBANY) and the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association (NJMLA), and featured criminal defense attorney Khurrum Wahid, a partner with the law firm Wahid, Vizcaino & Maher LLP.

Muslim Advocates regularly holds trainings for attorneys who are able and willing to represent individuals contacted by the FBI or other law enforcement agencies. Our next training will be a webinar on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. To sign up for this training, please click here.