Muslim Advocates Partners with NAACP, "New Muslim Cool"

In this update:

•Muslim Advocates Partners with NAACP on Imam Luqman Shooting
•Registration for NYC Charities Seminar Closes Today
•Attorney-Training Webinar a Big Success
•Muslim Advocates Speaks at "New Muslim Cool" Screenings

Muslim Advocates Partners with NAACP in Requesting Thorough Investigation of Detroit Imam's Shooting Death

In a letter sent earlier this month to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Muslim Advocates and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) expressed their shared concern over the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) use of lethal force in the October 28, 2009, shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah in Dearborn, Michigan. The letter requests that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate the circumstances of the imam's death, including a review of the FBI's decision to use lethal force during the raid and a complete analysis of the imam's autopsy report. The letter also requests that the DOJ investigate all of the incidents preceding and following the raid, including the FBI's use of undisclosed informants and recent inflammatory and misleading comments made by the head of the Detroit FBI office.

Registration for March 6th New York Muslim Charities Seminar Ends Today!

Muslim Advocates, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association, and the Association of Muslim American Lawyers--in partnership with the Justice Action Center of New York Law School--invite NY-NJ area mosque and nonprofit leaders to attend a Free Legal & Financial Educational Seminar on Saturday, March 6th from 8am to 6pm at New York Law School. Experts from leading national law and accounting firms and the Internal Revenue Service will offer professional guidance on issues such as nonprofit governance, employment law and how to protect institutions in their interactions with the FBI.

Click here for an agenda.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FEB. 26th!

Muslim Advocates Trains Attorneys to Represent Community Members

In early February, Muslim Advocates hosted its third webinar training for lawyers on representing clients approached by law enforcement officials for questioning, led by John Floyd, a criminal defense attorney in Houston, Texas, who has been recognized for his pro bono work. The webinar provided more than two dozen attorneys with information that will enable them to advise and represent American Muslims, who are continuing to be approached by the FBI, either in connection with actual criminal investigations, or ongoing surveillance of the community.

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 in-person, Thursday, March 4th at 6:30 PM in New York City. Please contact Nura Maznavi, nura@muslimadvocates.org or 415.765.1495, for more information.

Muslim Advocates Participates in Panel at "New Muslim Cool" Screenings

On Monday, March 1st in Milwaukee, WI, and on Tuesday, March 2nd in Baltimore, MD, Muslim Advocates counsel Nura Maznavi will join "New Muslim Cool" film director Jennifer Taylor and independent hip-hop artist MC Hamza, in panel discussions about how racial profiling has expanded over the years to include the Muslim, South Asian and Middle Eastern communities. The discussions follow screenings of the film, which is told through the lens of Hamza, a Puerto Rican, independent hip-hop artist who converts from Catholicism to Islam in the aftermath of 9-11.

The Milwaukee screening, on March 1st, is from 7-9 PM at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Union Wisconsin Room, while the Baltimore screening, on March 2nd, is from 7-9 PM at the Brown Center of the Maryland Institute College of Art. Read more about the March 2nd Baltimore screening on its Facebook page.