Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Immune Response to Cancer May Cause Brain Disease
COLD SPRING HARBOR, New York, March 26 -- The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory issued the following news:
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Immune response to cancer may cause brain disease
The Takeaway
A multidisciplinary study at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reveals that the same natural immune response to cancer can cause autoimmune disorders, including the brain disease anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. The discovery may empower scientists to develop new antibody-based drugs that fight cancer and prevent brain damage.
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Consider two seemingly unrelated medical puzzles. First: Every day, our bodies produce hundreds
... Show Full Article
COLD SPRING HARBOR, New York, March 26 -- The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory issued the following news:
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Immune response to cancer may cause brain disease
The Takeaway
A multidisciplinary study at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reveals that the same natural immune response to cancer can cause autoimmune disorders, including the brain disease anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. The discovery may empower scientists to develop new antibody-based drugs that fight cancer and prevent brain damage.
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Consider two seemingly unrelated medical puzzles. First: Every day, our bodies produce hundredsof billions of new cells, many of which are mutated. If cancer arises from cellular mutation, why don't we all have the disease all the time? Second: Severe autoimmune conditions like lupus and multiple sclerosis often strike without warning. No one knows what triggers them. A new study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), published in Nature, suggests the two puzzles may be directly connected. The research reveals that our immune system is pre-equipped with antibodies that can both fight tumors and attack the brain.
"Patients with autoimmune diseases often experience the condition coming out of nowhere," says Sam Kleeman, a recent CSHL Ph.D. graduate, who led the study. "It may be from the cancer you never knew you had."
Kleeman's team focused on anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (ANRE), the debilitating autoimmune brain disease popularized by Susannah Cahalan's New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire. In ANRE, the immune system attacks proteins in the brain called NMDA receptors, causing psychosis, insomnia, and seizures. Many patients with this condition are found to have a tumor that produces the same NMDA receptors, but outside the brain.
Using a mouse model of breast cancer, the team traced antibodies from precursors present at birth through their evolution within the tumor into potent cancer-killing molecules. The mice that developed the strongest antibody responses saw their tumors shrink spontaneously. However, when those same antibodies were infused into the brains of healthy mice, they caused seizures and elevated body temperatures, mirroring what patients with ANRE experience.
A key breakthrough came from CSHL Professor Hiro Furukawa, an expert in molecular neuroscience. Using a method called cryo-EM, he realized that some antibodies activated NMDA receptors and others inhibited them. "This means that the same immune response against a tumor can produce antibodies with completely opposite effects on the brain," Furukawa explains. "Understanding which antibodies are harmful and which are protective could eventually help us develop treatments that preserve the immune system's cancer-fighting abilities while preventing neurological damage."
With this goal in mind, the team turned their attention to the clinic. Working with Northwell Health, the researchers found that NMDA receptor proteins are commonly produced by tumors in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a disease known to resist hormone therapy and other common forms of treatment. About 15% of these patients had formed antibodies targeting NMDA receptors. Notably, these patients tended to have better clinical outcomes, suggesting that their immune systems were actively fighting the cancer.
"With this knowledge, we can now begin carefully designing antibody-based drugs that could one day be used to treat patients with triple-negative breast cancer," says CSHL Associate Professor Tobias Janowitz, who supervised the study alongside Furukawa. "Our research shows that while cancer remains deeply puzzling, considering the whole-body response to the disease may help us solve biomedical mysteries that have eluded scientists for decades."
Funding
Simons Foundation, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Robertson Research Fund, Doug Fox Alzheimer's Fund, Gertrude and Louis Feil Family Trust, Terri Brodeur Foundation, David H. Koch Foundation
Citation
Kleeman, S.O., et al., "Ectopic NMDAR expression in cancer unmasks germline-encoded autoimmunity", Nature, March 25, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10278-0
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Core Facilites
"The Animal Shared Resource houses and cares for the animals essential for scientific research. Our staff perform all aspects of animal husbandry, ensure humane care, and assist researchers with highly technical procedures and protocol design and development."
-- Animal Facility Director and Attending Veterinarian Rachel Rubino, DVM
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"The Electron Cryomicroscopy (Cryo-EM) Facility offers researchers access to cutting-edge technology that has made it possible to visualize complex biological systems at near atomic resolution and detail, providing novel molecular insight into human biology and disease."
-- Cryo-EM Facility Manager Dennis Thomas
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"The Flow Cytometry Shared Resource offers researchers equipment, training, and assistance with cellular analysis for a variety of applications as well as cell sorting. Our staff oversees equipment maintenance and quality control, trains new users on instrument operation, and assists with assay development and data analysis. We also provide tissue culture facilities for sample preparation and cell maintenance during ongoing flow cytometry experiments."
-- Director Pamela Moody
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"The Microscopy Core Facility provides training, consultation, experimental design and technical assistance to investigators at CSHL in widefield, spinning disk laser scanning or point laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy, and super-resolution microscopy. In addition, the Microscopy Shared Resource provides customized state-of-the-art optical imaging and quantitative image analysis applications to support a wide range of scientific endeavors."
-- Director Erika Wee, Ph.D.
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"The Sequencing Technologies and Analysis Shared Resource provides access to an array of high throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies. We offer cutting-edge technology alongside convenient in-house services for a broad range of genetic analysis."
-- NGS Director Sara Goodwin, Ph.D.
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"The Single Cell Genomics Core Facility brings cutting-edge single-cell technologies to collaborators both inside and outside of the Laboratory. We currently specialize in single-cell transcriptomics and offer assistance in a variety of gene expression workflows, including the latest in spatial gene expression profiling technologies."
-- Director Jon Preall, Ph.D.
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"The Tissue Imaging Shared Resource provides a spectrum of on-demand and researcher-tailored histopathological services, including tissue sampling, processing, embedding, and sectioning, as well as H&E, special, and immunohistochemistry staining. We not only support laser-capture microdissection and whole-slide scanning, but also offer histopathology consultation and instrument training."
-- Manager Kristin Milicich
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Original text here: https://www.cshl.edu/immune-response-to-cancer-may-cause-brain-disease/
[Category: Science]
ICYMI: Club for Growth PAC, Alabama Freedom Fund Release New Poll and 2 Ads in AL-SEN Race
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Club for Growth, an advocacy organization, issued the following news release on March 25, 2026:
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ICYMI: Club for Growth PAC, Alabama Freedom Fund Release New Poll and 2 Ads in AL-SEN Race
In case you missed it, Club for Growth PAC-endorsed Rep. Barry Moore (31%) leads Attorney General Steve Marshall (26%) and Jared Hudson (13%), according to new polling in Alabama's U.S. Senate race. The poll also found that just 31% were aware of President Trump's endorsement of Moore in the race. Additionally, Club for Growth Action's affiliated Alabama Freedom Fund launched two
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Club for Growth, an advocacy organization, issued the following news release on March 25, 2026:
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ICYMI: Club for Growth PAC, Alabama Freedom Fund Release New Poll and 2 Ads in AL-SEN Race
In case you missed it, Club for Growth PAC-endorsed Rep. Barry Moore (31%) leads Attorney General Steve Marshall (26%) and Jared Hudson (13%), according to new polling in Alabama's U.S. Senate race. The poll also found that just 31% were aware of President Trump's endorsement of Moore in the race. Additionally, Club for Growth Action's affiliated Alabama Freedom Fund launched twonew ads as part of a $1.25 million buy across TV, streaming, and radio in Birmingham and Huntsville. Caleb Taylor covered the release as an exclusive for 1819 News.
Click here (https://youtu.be/0nd0TEXFnpE?si=g7HDogcKpbrgnP4W) to view Mother, an Alabama Freedom Fund ad that exposes Attorney General Steve Marshall as an Obama Democrat and slams his soft-on-crime record.
Click here (https://www.clubforgrowth.org/wp-content/uploads/securepdfs/2026/03/CfG_AL-SEN_MarchBrushfire_PollingMemo_V2-1.pdf) to read the full polling memo from Club for Growth PAC.
STORY EXCERPTS:
The Alabama Freedom Fund began running ads on Wednesday touting President Donald Trump's endorsement of U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and reminding voters about Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's past as a Democrat.
The Alabama Freedom Fund is bankrolled by Club for Growth Action, a conservative advocacy group that endorsed Moore for U.S. Senate in January shortly after he got Trump's endorsement.
The $1.25 million ad buy from the Alabama Freedom Fund spans TV, streaming and radio in the Birmingham and Huntsville media markets.
One of the ads labels Marshall as someone who has spent most of his life as a "soft-on-crime Democrat."
"So after Steve Marshall spent most of his life as a soft-on-crime Democrat, why would we ever make him Senator?" the ad asked.
Democrat Gov. Don Siegelman appointed Marshall as Marshall County District Attorney in 2001. Marshall later changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 2011. Republican Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Marshall to be Alabama Attorney General in 2017.
The second, by the Alabama Freedom Fund, features Trump's endorsement of Moore.
"Barry has never stopped fighting for Trump's agenda. As Senator, he'll fight even harder. Barry Moore (is) completely and totally MAGA with Trump's complete and total endorsement," the ad states.
Primary elections in Alabama are scheduled for May 19.
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Original text here: https://www.clubforgrowth.org/icymi-club-for-growth-pac-alabama-freedom-fund-release-new-poll-and-2-ads-in-al-sen-race/
[Category: Political]
Hemophilia Federation Launches Learning Platform to Expand Patient Education
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Hemophilia Federation of America issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by Learning Central Manager Emily A. Roush:
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How HFA's New LMS Platform Will Benefit the Community
HFA Launches New Online Learning Platform to Provide Innovative Learning to Patients, Caregivers & More
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Since 2020, online learning has transformed from a temporary solution for students to learn and organizations to communicate into a lasting and essential part of education, including education for the patient community.
While the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Hemophilia Federation of America issued the following commentary on March 24, 2026, by Learning Central Manager Emily A. Roush:
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How HFA's New LMS Platform Will Benefit the Community
HFA Launches New Online Learning Platform to Provide Innovative Learning to Patients, Caregivers & More
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Since 2020, online learning has transformed from a temporary solution for students to learn and organizations to communicate into a lasting and essential part of education, including education for the patient community.
While the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digitalplatforms, proving that learning can happen anywhere, anytime, Hemophilia Federation of America was ahead of its time by creating its online learning platform prior to the pandemic.
In the past, the HFA Education team launched The Institute, which was comprised of Learning Central to provide education to the bleeding disorders community and the general public, and internal learning for staff and member organization training.
Today, HFA is continuing that tradition, addressing the changing needs of the community, and updating technology with changing innovations. When Learning Central began, the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of online education made it a permanent fixture, but technology changed quickly, and HFA had to adapt and update an outdated system.
This fall, HFA re-launched Learning Central with a new learning management system (LMS). It allows the patient community, their family, general learners, teachers, coaches, and more to reenter the LMS and rediscover courses specifically about bleeding disorders. But this time, courses are easier to find, learning paths are easier to follow, and courses are supplemented with better handouts, resources, and coordinating educational webinars. All of this can be found within one place, so patients do not have to visit YouTube, a website, or any number of other locations.
HFA chose Adobe Learning Manager as its LMS partner, which houses the courses using a trusted brand that is constantly evaluating and updating technology. This helps HFA's learners to access the courses from any device at any time.
Learn On Your Own Terms
For patients with rare diseases, online learning is meaningful because they face unique challenges that may be made more difficult due to limited access to specialized healthcare providers and educational resources in their local areas.
Plus, with a complex, chronic condition, the ability to learn at their own pace empowers patients to understand their treatment and self-care when and where it works for them.
Learning Central provides accurate, up-to-date information that has been designed by and vetted by the HFA medical advisory team and subject matter experts. Those in the community can also find a supportive virtual community where others in the community share experiences and learn with a Community Chat feature that will become available in Learning Central by the end of 2025.
Participants can choose their own path, exploring topics of interest, and can select their own level, from the basics to more scientific. Topics include what blood is made of, causes of bleeding disorders, genetics, quality of life, and the clotting cascade. Instead of data mining all over the internet for information on bleeding disorders, learners can watch a basic animation or a longer, more scientific animation, or complete a full course --whatever fits their level of learning, interest, and time.
What's Next
Through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026, HFA will be redesigning each of its existing courses in a new design platform, as well as creating new courses and microlearning opportunities (shorter, easier to consume topics). The redesigned courses will include updating information and treatments with the latest research, plus they will help learners navigate the courses faster, include more videos and animations, and add accessibility features such as adjustable audio and captioning.
Visit the new Learning Central. Previous learners should create a new account. For those who already use Adobe products, they can log in with their Adobe account or create a new Adobe account to access the new platform for more information about logging in or learning central, email our team.
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Original text here: https://www.hemophiliafed.org/how-hfas-new-lms-platform-will-benefit-the-community/
[Category: Medical]
Catholic League Issues Commentary: Taliban Outclasses Mamdani and Sherrill
NEW YORK, March 26 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on March 25, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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TALIBAN OUTCLASSES MAMDANI AND SHERRILL
The Taliban are known as among the world's most brutal terrorists, yet they exhibited more humanity at the end of Ramadan than New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.
On March 20, the last day of Ramadan, the Taliban released an American,
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 26 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on March 25, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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TALIBAN OUTCLASSES MAMDANI AND SHERRILL
The Taliban are known as among the world's most brutal terrorists, yet they exhibited more humanity at the end of Ramadan than New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.
On March 20, the last day of Ramadan, the Taliban released an American,Dennis Coyle, whom they had imprisoned for over a year, citing the holiday as the reason for doing so. They said his release was "based on humanitarian sympathy and goodwill." Now contrast this with the way Mamdani and Sherrill acted that day. They were not guided by one ounce of "humanitarian sympathy and goodwill."
Mamdani made his first visit to Rikers Island, home to the most violent inmates in the city. This may appear to some as an outreach to the marginalized, but when we learn that he habitually reaches out to murderers and thugs, but not their victims, a different picture emerges.
One New York City police veteran told reporters that Mamdani "hasn't visited any victims of the heinous crimes some of these guys have committed." He gave as an example a man who tried to knife police officers in Queens, noting that "he visited the criminal's family in that case too." He added, "He can go visit inmates in Rikers, but he can't go visit a cop who gets hurt during an Isis-inspired attack outside the Mayor's home earlier this month."
Sherrill was just as insulting. It is one thing to visit a mosque at the end of Ramadan, quite another to choose one that has been linked to terrorism since its founding in 1989; the co-founder was convicted of funneling money to Hamas.
She met with Imam Mohammad Qatanani, pretending she was a Muslim (she wore a large cloth wrapped around her head, extending down the front of her body), offering her well wishes. This cleric has called for "a new intifada," and has met with Hamas leaders in Gaza saying, "our wish should be we carry out Jihad to death." That was his message to Jews--you should all be killed.
Ramadan is a month that begins in mercy, followed by an emphasis on forgiveness, and ends with a prayer asking for emancipation from hell. The Taliban's decision to release Coyle evinced mercy and forgiveness. Mamdani and Sherrill turned these two virtues on their head, showing mercy and forgiveness for murderers and terrorists
Thus were New York City's mayor and New Jersey's governor outclassed by the Taliban. What a sorry state of affairs.
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Original text here: https://www.catholicleague.org/taliban-outclasses-mamdani-and-sherrill/
[Category: Sociological]
CFP Board Creates Working Group to Evaluate Bachelor's Degree Requirement for CFP Certification
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards issued the following news release:
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CFP Board Creates Working Group to Evaluate Bachelor's Degree Requirement for CFP(R) Certification
CFP Board has formed the Academic Pathways & Standards Working Group (APSWG) to evaluate the bachelor's degree requirement for CFP(R) certification as part of its comprehensive approach to reviewing CFP(R) Certification Competency Standards. The Working Group was first announced alongside the updated Competency Standards (https://www.cfp.net/news/2026/01/cfp-board-strengthens-competency-standards-for-a-changing-world)
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards issued the following news release:
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CFP Board Creates Working Group to Evaluate Bachelor's Degree Requirement for CFP(R) Certification
CFP Board has formed the Academic Pathways & Standards Working Group (APSWG) to evaluate the bachelor's degree requirement for CFP(R) certification as part of its comprehensive approach to reviewing CFP(R) Certification Competency Standards. The Working Group was first announced alongside the updated Competency Standards (https://www.cfp.net/news/2026/01/cfp-board-strengthens-competency-standards-for-a-changing-world)on January 27, 2026.
The APSWG will conduct a careful analysis of the bachelor's degree requirement, assessing whether the requirement continues to reflect current practices, emerging trends, and the evolving needs of the financial planning profession and the public it serves. Based on this analysis, the APSWG will provide a recommendation to the Board of Directors on whether the requirement should be maintained or modified.
The Board of Directors will review the recommendation and may revise it as it deems appropriate. CFP Board will put any proposed modification to the bachelor's degree requirement out for public comment before the Board of Directors makes any final decision. No final decision is anticipated in 2026.
"Strong competency standards are essential to the credibility of CFP(R) certification," said CFP Board CEO K. Dane Snowden. "That credibility matters - to the profession, to Americans and to every CFP(R) professional. Reviews like this help keep our standards aligned with the expectations and needs of the families CFP(R) professionals serve."
The Academic Pathways & Standards Working Group includes the following members:
* Anthony Battle, CFP(R), ChFC(R), CLU(R), RICP(R), ChSNC(R), AIFA(R), Assistant Director Planning and Retirement, Principal Securities Inc.
* Jack Brod, CFP(R), 2020 CFP Board Chair, Savant Wealth Management
* Kamila Elliott, CFP(R), 2022 CFP Board Chair, Founder and CEO, Collective Wealth Partners
* Brett Esselburn, CFP(R), ChFC(R), Head of Advisory and Investment Consulting, Equitable Advisors
* Bonnie Harper, CFP(R), RICP(R), CLU(R), CPWA(R), Vice President, Private Wealth Consultant, Raymond James
* Jason Kelly, Director, Financial Planning, Edward Jones
* Phuong Luong, MEd, CFP(R), Program Director, Financial Planning Program, Boston University
* Martin Schamis, CFP(R), Vice President/Head of Wealth Planning, Janney Montgomery Scott
* Denise Streeter, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Business, Howard University
* Demetra Sullivan, CFP(R), Regional Market Executive, Branch Network, Charles Schwab
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About CFP Board
CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public's benefit. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(R) certification - widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners - so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP(R) certification is held by more than 107,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession's body of knowledge.
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Original text here: https://www.cfp.net/news/2026/03/cfp-board-creates-working-group-to-evaluate-bachelors-degree-requirement-for-cfp-certification
[Category: Financial Services]
CAIR-NJ Calls on New Jersey Reps to Stand Against 'Sharia-Free America Caucus' as a Threat to Religious Freedom
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 25, 2026:
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CAIR-NJ Calls on New Jersey Reps to Stand Against 'Sharia-Free America Caucus' as a Threat to Religious Freedom
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on New Jersey congressional leaders to condemn the "Sharia-Free America Caucus," attempt to undermine the constitutional rights and freedoms of millions of Americans while promoting harmful misinformation
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 25, 2026:
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CAIR-NJ Calls on New Jersey Reps to Stand Against 'Sharia-Free America Caucus' as a Threat to Religious Freedom
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on New Jersey congressional leaders to condemn the "Sharia-Free America Caucus," attempt to undermine the constitutional rights and freedoms of millions of Americans while promoting harmful misinformationabout Islam.
CAIR-NJ called on NJ representatives to reaffirm their commitment to protecting the religious freedoms of all New Jersey residents.
[NOTE: Previously, CAIR designated the "Sharia-Free America Caucus" as an anti-Muslim hate group. This is the first time in CAIR's 32-year history that the organization has designated a congressional caucus as an extremist organization.SEE: CAIR Designates House's 'Sharia-Free Caucus' an Anti-Muslim Hate Group (https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-designates-houses-sharia-free-caucus-an-anti-muslim-hate-group/)]
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
"Those who are Muslim, those who are religious Americans, must be able to freely practice their faith. The rhetoric coming from the 'Sharia-Free America Caucus' is baseless. It is a distraction from America's really troubles. It is fearmongering, plain and simple.
"Sharia governs various aspects of religious life, similarly to many other religions. Christians have cannon law; the Jewish faith has halakha. This is all protected under the First Amendment. These systems are in place for their personal lives, not to impose among others."
Maksut added: "Ironically, the only real threat of religious imposition in public life comes from far-right Evangelical Christian nationalist movements that seek to frame America as a Christian nation. This narrative is not only false, but it also runs counter to the core values of our founding principles professed by our founding fathers and is fundamentally un-American."
He said New Jersey elected officials must stand firmly against this bigotry and reaffirm their commitment to keeping New Jersey's religious population safe and free under the constitution.
CAIR's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-nj-calls-on-new-jersey-reps-to-stand-against-sharia-free-america-caucus-as-a-threat-to-religious-freedom/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR Md. Seeks Clarity From Olney Elementary School Following 'Culture Night' Controversy, Citing Concerns of Anti-Palestinian Bias in Schools
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 24, 2026:
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CAIR Md. Seeks Clarity from Olney Elementary School Following 'Culture Night' Controversy, Citing Concerns of Anti-Palestinian Bias in Schools
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Olney Elementary School (OES) to provide clarification and transparency regarding concerns raised by a recent school communication about its "Culture Night" event.
READ CAIR'S
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 26 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 24, 2026:
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CAIR Md. Seeks Clarity from Olney Elementary School Following 'Culture Night' Controversy, Citing Concerns of Anti-Palestinian Bias in Schools
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Olney Elementary School (OES) to provide clarification and transparency regarding concerns raised by a recent school communication about its "Culture Night" event.
READ CAIR'SLETTER (https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Olney-ES-Culture-Night.pdf).
CAIR is calling on school administrators to explain its decision-making process on which elements in the display were identified as hurtful or inappropriate, as well as its standards for cultural representation to make sure that Palestinian experiences, identity and history are not being treated differently from other cultures represented within the school community.
CAIR's letter reads in part:
"A safe and supportive learning environment must include space for students to learn in an age-appropriate way about real-world histories and cultural narratives, including when they are complex or uncomfortable. This promotes critical thinking and global awareness. Shielding students from factual representations of history does not create safety; it only leads to erasure and fuels ignorance and bias, as we have seen amid multiple hate bias incidents within MCPS, including violent anti-Palestinian graffiti discovered earlier this year at Walt Whitman High School."
"When schools appear to single out or suppress one identity under the guise of neutrality, it raises concerns about equity, consistency, and the lived experiences of those students," said CAIR's Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. "Equity cannot be selective. If we are committed to ensuring every student feels a sense of belonging, that commitment must extend to students whose communities are experiencing profound grief, trauma, and global injustice. Especially in this climate, schools must take extra care not to contribute intentionally or unintentionally to the silencing or exclusion of vulnerable student communities. Educational spaces must be safe, supportive, engaging - and fact-based."
This request for clarity comes amid a documented, alarming rise in anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic incidents in Maryland public schools. In January 2026, Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian graffiti reading "F*** Muslims, Nuke Palestine" was discovered at Walt Whitman High School in Montgomery County, prompting widespread condemnation from local officials and community leaders.
SEE: CAIR Maryland, Muslim Council Condemn Islamophobic and Violent Hate Graffiti at Walt Whitman High School (https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-maryland-muslim-council-condemn-islamophobic-and-violent-hate-graffiti-at-walt-whitman-high-school/)
County leaders described the incident as "deeply disturbing" and reaffirmed that such hate "will not be tolerated."
CAIR and other advocates have noted that such incidents are not isolated, but part of a broader pattern in which Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students report being marginalized, erased, or targeted within school environments.
CAIR emphasized that cultural events like "Culture Night" are intended to celebrate diversity and foster belonging. Policies, statements and decisions that chill, restrict or discourage the representation of Palestinian identity undermine those goals.
The civil rights group is calling on Olney Elementary School to:
* Provide a clear explanation of the policies governing cultural representation at school events
* Ensure that all school programming is inclusive, viewpoint-neutral, and grounded in factual, age-appropriate educational standards
* Engage directly with impacted Palestinian Muslim and Christian families and community stakeholders to build trust
CAIR's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-md-seeks-clarity-from-olney-elementary-school-following-culture-night-controversy-citing-concerns-of-anti-palestinian-bias-in-schools/
[Category: Sociological]
