Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
SBA Should Not Block Green Card Holders From Accessing Microloans, Surety Bonds
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Small Business Majority issued the following statement on March 10, 2026:
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SBA Should Not Block Green Card Holders From Accessing Microloans, Surety Bonds
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer on the impact that the U.S. Small Business Administration's latest lending restrictions will have on green card holders
"The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) guidance that seeks to prohibit non-citizens, including green card holders, from accessing SBA-backed loans through the Surety Bond and Microloan Programs is yet another blow to
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Small Business Majority issued the following statement on March 10, 2026:
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SBA Should Not Block Green Card Holders From Accessing Microloans, Surety Bonds
Statement from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer on the impact that the U.S. Small Business Administration's latest lending restrictions will have on green card holders
"The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) guidance that seeks to prohibit non-citizens, including green card holders, from accessing SBA-backed loans through the Surety Bond and Microloan Programs is yet another blow tolawful permanent residents seeking to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams in the United States. Given that immigrants are twice as likely to start a business as U.S.-born citizens, SBA's lending restrictions will have a negative impact on small business creation throughout this country for years to come. What's more, the timing of SBA's tighter lending eligibility criteria could not be worse as small businesses have struggled for many years to access critical capital. In fact, Small Business Majority's research found that among entrepreneurs who pursued funding for their business, just 36% secured a loan of any size with most receiving $50,000 or less. Nearly one-quarter (24%) reported that the funding they received was insufficient to meet their needs.
Just like its previous actions to prohibit green card holders from accessing SBA-backed financing through the 7(a) and 504 programs, there is no evidence that this latest guidance will catalyze small business growth in the United States. Instead of making it harder for lawful permanent residents to start businesses and create jobs, policymakers should be looking for ways to encourage growth on Main Street."
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About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business organization that empowers America's diverse entrepreneurs to build a thriving and equitable economy. We engage our network of more than 85,000 small businesses and 1,500 business and community organizations to advocate for public policy solutions and deliver resources to entrepreneurs that promote equitable small business growth. Our deep connections with the small business community along with our scientific research enable us to educate the public about key issues impacting America's entrepreneurs, with a special focus on advancing the smallest businesses and those facing systemic inequalities. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter(X), Facebook and Instagram.
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Original text here: https://smallbusinessmajority.org/press-release/sba-should-not-block-green-card-holders-accessing-microloans-surety-bonds
[Category: Business]
Food and Water Watch: East Whiteland Planning Commission Recommends Increased Scrutiny for Data Center Proposal
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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East Whiteland Planning Commission Recommends Increased Scrutiny for Data Center Proposal
After hundreds show up in opposition, East Whiteland joins a growing number of communities opposed to data centers; statewide moratorium bill expected soon
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Last night, after hundreds of residents packed an auditorium to voice opposition to a proposed data center development, the East Whiteland Planning Commission recommended that the Township Supervisors have increased scrutiny when considering
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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East Whiteland Planning Commission Recommends Increased Scrutiny for Data Center Proposal
After hundreds show up in opposition, East Whiteland joins a growing number of communities opposed to data centers; statewide moratorium bill expected soon
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Last night, after hundreds of residents packed an auditorium to voice opposition to a proposed data center development, the East Whiteland Planning Commission recommended that the Township Supervisors have increased scrutiny when consideringdata center developer Green Fig's new plan. Green Fig is seeking to increase the expansion of their approved 1 million square foot data center to 1.7 million through an amendment rather than a new project application. The Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors carefully consider the impacts of these projects and the zoning approval previously granted.
Senator Katie Muth, whose district includes East Whiteland, was among those who testified against the rezoning. Muth has announced intent to file a three-year data center moratorium bill, in response to robust data center opposition across Pennsylvania. According to FracTracker Alliance, developers have submitted proposals for at least 23 hyper-scale data centers in Pennsylvania.
In response, Food & Water Watch Eastern Pennsylvania Senior Organizer Ginny Marcille-Kerslake issued the following statement:
"People showed up in East Whiteland to make their voices heard and we hope the Township acts accordingly to shut this project down once and for all. Pennsylvania needs a statewide moratorium that alleviates communities from having to take these arduous fights all by themselves."
"The state must aid communities trying to grapple with the impacts of a reckless data center buildout by passing a moratorium to stop the development until the government at all levels knows if they can balance data center development with the needs and wants of Pennsylvanians."
Last week, Food & Water Watch released a first-of-its-kind report detailing the harms of the AI and data center boom infiltrating communities around the country. In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Over 250 organizations have since joined the call -- including 17 from Pennsylvania.
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Original text here: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2026/03/10/east-whiteland-planning-commission-recommends-increased-scrutiny-for-data-center-proposal/
[Category: Science]
Clean Air Task Force: EU SMR Strategy Offers Roadmap to Move From Scattered Projects to a Shared EU Endeavour
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 11 -- Clean Air Task Force, an organization that says it works to safeguard against the impacts of climate change by catalyzing the development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies, issued the following news:
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EU SMR Strategy offers roadmap to move from scattered projects to a shared EU endeavour
BRUSSELS -- Clean Air Task Force (CATF) welcomed the European Commission's Strategy for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a vital roadmap toward developing and deploying a strategic clean technology grounded in cross-country collaboration.
... Show Full Article
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 11 -- Clean Air Task Force, an organization that says it works to safeguard against the impacts of climate change by catalyzing the development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies, issued the following news:
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EU SMR Strategy offers roadmap to move from scattered projects to a shared EU endeavour
BRUSSELS -- Clean Air Task Force (CATF) welcomed the European Commission's Strategy for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a vital roadmap toward developing and deploying a strategic clean technology grounded in cross-country collaboration.
The strategy arrives as interest in SMRs grows across Member States, highlighting the importance of strategic alignment and the strengthening of the European nuclear supply chain and workforce.
The Commission rightly stresses that to grasp global technological leadership and tap into the clean energy benefits SMRs can bring EU countries must move past a fragmented approach to nuclear energy.
"Europe needs clean, reliable power. The problem isn't technology - it's coordination. CATF welcomes this Strategy as a necessary step toward aligning the policy, regulatory, and financial frameworks required to move SMR projects forward," said Malwina Qvist, Director of the Nuclear Energy program at CATF. "A fragmented rollout will not be a winning strategy. EU Member States must fully leverage the benefits of European integration by aligning on reactor designs, licensing, and pooling resources across borders."
A central pillar of SMR deployment in Europe must be the need to move away from treating nuclear plants as one-off, bespoke megaprojects. Instead, the EU must foster a "fleet-scale" deployment model that treats SMRs as high-tech industrial products manufactured in series.
"Fleet-scale deployment can fulfill the promise of serial factory production and bring costs down the learning curve," Qvist continued. "One of the most effective solutions for this is the creation of European Orderbook: coordinated, repeat builds of standardised reactors that reduce risk and make projects financeable for investors."
The strategy also emphasises the role of SMRs in providing clean low-carbon power and high-temperature heat for "hard-to-abate" sectors, such as chemicals and steel.
"SMRs offer an opportunity to deploy clean firm nuclear energy that supports decarbonisation, competitiveness, and energy security simultaneously," Qvist added. "By providing reliable power and heat directly to industrial hubs, we can strengthen Europe's industrial base while making the entire energy system more resilient."
CATF notes that coordinated action across governments, regulators, and industry will be critical to translating this strategy into real-world projects that support Europe's long-term economic and energy resilience.
Find further resources:
* Recommendations for the EU SMR Strategy (https://www.catf.us/resource/clean-air-task-force-recommendations-for-the-eu-smr-strategy/)
* Nuclear Energy Orderbook 101 (https://www.catf.us/resource/nuclear-energy-orderbooks-101/)
* How nuclear energy can help decarbonise European Industry (https://www.catf.us/resource/energising-the-eu-how-nuclear-energy-can-help-decarbonise-european-industry/)
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About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organisation working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalysing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognised expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
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Original text here: https://www.catf.us/2026/03/eu-smr-strategy-offers-roadmap-to-move-from-scattered-projects-to-a-shared-eu-endeavour/
[Category: Environment]
CAIR-NJ Condemns Formal Ethics Complaint Against NJ Municipal Judge Over Religious and Cultural Attire at Judicial Conference
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR-NJ Condemns Formal Ethics Complaint Against NJ Municipal Judge Over Religious and Cultural Attire at Judicial Conference
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the formal ethics complaint filed by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) against Judge Steven Brister, a part-time municipal court judge in East Orange who also serves as
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR-NJ Condemns Formal Ethics Complaint Against NJ Municipal Judge Over Religious and Cultural Attire at Judicial Conference
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the formal ethics complaint filed by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) against Judge Steven Brister, a part-time municipal court judge in East Orange who also serves asan acting judge in Newark and Orange.
The complaint, filed on March 4, 2026, alleges that Judge Brister violated the judiciary's political speech and conduct rules by wearing a keffiyeh and a hat bearing the word "Palestine" at a judicial conference in June 2025.
According to the ACJC complaint, Judge Brister attended the annual Municipal Division Conference on June 9, 2025, wearing a black baseball cap featuring the Palestinian flag and the word "Palestine," along with a black and white checkered keffiyeh draped around his neck and shoulders. The complaint states that after some attendees expressed offense, the presiding judge asked Brister to remove the hat. Judge Brister declined, stating he would remove the cap only if all attendees were asked to remove their headgear. Under oath before the ACJC in October 2025, Judge Brister testified that he did not view the attire as a political statement and that he wore the keffiyeh for religious and spiritual reasons.
CAIR-NJ had previously submitted a letter to the ACJC in November 2025 urging the committee to refrain from pursuing formal charges, arguing that Judge Brister's attire represented an act of religious and conscientious expression consistent with his Islamic faith rather than prohibited political activity. The letter detailed the religious significance of the keffiyeh and similar head coverings in Islamic tradition, noting that wearing such garments is rooted in the Sunnah--the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)--and is a recognized practice among Muslims of all backgrounds, including African American Muslims.
SEE: N.J. judge under legal fire for wearing 'Palestine' hat, Middle Eastern scarf at conference (https://www.nj.com/essex/2026/03/nj-judge-under-legal-fire-for-wearing-palestine-hat-middle-eastern-scarf-at-conference.html%C2%A0)
SEE: Judge faces discipline for wearing hat with Palestine flag to conference (https://newjerseymonitor.com/briefs/judge-discipline-hat-palestine-flag/)
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Staff Attorney, Ramin Zareian, said:
"The decision to file a formal ethics complaint against Judge Brister for wearing a keffiyeh and a hat referencing Palestine is deeply troubling and sets a dangerous precedent for religious and cultural expression within the judiciary,"
"The keffiyeh is a garment with deep significance for Muslims worldwide. To characterize it as inherently political while similar expressions of faith--such as a yarmulke, a Sikh turban, or a cross lapel pin--are accepted without question reveals an alarming double standard. We stand firmly with Judge Brister and will continue to defend the right of Muslim Americans to express their faith without fear of professional retaliation."
CAIR-NJ maintains that Canon 7 of the New Jersey Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits judges from engaging in political activity, was not designed to restrict expressions of religious faith, moral conscience, or humanitarian solidarity. The organization argues that "Palestine" is a geographic and spiritual term referring to a land sacred to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and that concern for Palestine among Muslims is foremost a religious and humanitarian matter, not a partisan political stance.
CAIR-NJ warns that treating Muslim religious and cultural symbols as inherently political while regarding analogous expressions from other faith traditions as devotional risks unequal treatment and erodes public confidence in an inclusive judiciary. The organization calls on the ACJC and the New Jersey Supreme Court to dismiss the complaint and to affirm that expressions of religious and cultural identity do not constitute violations of judicial ethics.
CAIR-NJ will continue to monitor this case and stands ready to provide support to Judge Brister. The organization encourages community members who have experienced discrimination based on religious expression to report incidents at cair-nj.org/report-an-incident.
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-condemns-formal-ethics-complaint-against-nj-municipal-judge-over-religious-and-cultural-attire-at-judicial-conference/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR's 2026 Civil Rights Report Shows the 'Right to Be Different' Narrowed in the Past Year
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR's 2026 Civil Rights Report Shows the 'Right to Be Different' Narrowed in the Past Year
Civil rights complaints reported to the organization remain at an all-time high
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released its 2026 Civil Rights Report "The Right to be Different," which documents a pattern of public officials using their offices to narrow the definitions of what Americans
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR's 2026 Civil Rights Report Shows the 'Right to Be Different' Narrowed in the Past Year
Civil rights complaints reported to the organization remain at an all-time high
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released its 2026 Civil Rights Report "The Right to be Different," which documents a pattern of public officials using their offices to narrow the definitions of what Americanscan look like, say, or believe in 2025.
WATCH CAIR'S NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THE REPORT (https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/videos/1462384071968696).
SEE: 2026 Civil Rights Report: The Right to be Different (https://action.cair.com/a/the-right-to-be-different)
SEE: Trump crackdown on protests and immigration led to Islamophobia, Muslim group says (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-crackdown-protests-immigration-led-islamophobia-muslim-group-says-2026-03-10/) - Reuters
"In 2025, powerful public officials argued--explicitly or by implication--that 'freedom' means the right to be like them: to speak the approved lines, worship the approved way, and trace ancestry to approved places," said CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor. "Protecting the right to be different is not a favor to any one community. It is the operating system of a free country."
CAIR's research staff identify five key trends in the report:
1. Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Texas are national standouts in a record-setting year. Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Texas have all seen increasing complaints in each of the last three years. CAIR received 8,683 complaints nationwide in 2025, the highest number of single-year complaints CAIR has recorded since our first civil rights report covering 1996 was published. This was a 0.3 percent increase from the 8,658 complaints reported in 2024. CAIR-Minnesota reported 693 complaints in 2025, a 96 percent increase over 2024. Twenty-three percent of their year total was recorded in December. CAIR-Chicago reported 877 complaints in 2025, a 65 percent increase over 2024.
2. Anti-Muslim narratives more clearly resurfaced in 2025, particularly the notion that the religious principles followed by Muslims are inherently threatening and anti-American. In 2025 extreme policies--five bills introduced at the federal level--that would effectively ban the practice of the world's second-largest religion in the United States or entry of its adherents into the nation were proposed. (For example, H. R. 5512) By February, Texas Governor Abbott was instigating a campaign against Muslim life in Texas while claiming he banned sharia. In December, Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Keith Self (R-TX) founded the "Sharia-Free America Caucus." As of late February 2026, they claimed 45 members. Member remarks make it clear that Islam is the target of the caucus' work. In a speech at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in December, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claimed that American Muslims are working to impose "sharia law" and "Islamic principles" across America through the "use of laws or violence," specifically citing the cities of Paterson, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas.
3. Government officials used collective and ideological punishment to target both non-citizens and citizens who are perceived to be ethnically or ideologically undesirable. The report documents three Muslim majority groups-Afghans, Somalis, and Syrians-that were targeted. Framing speech supporting Palestinian human rights as inherently threatening and biased, the Trump administration justified high-profile detentions based on the targeted individual's viewpoints. At least three students and a journalist were the subjects of widely publicized arrests and allegations of wrongdoing. In each instance, court evidence did not support the allegations. By September, a federal judge ruled in a case brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association that government officials "deliberately and with purposeful aforethought" coordinated two federal agencies to "intentionally to chill the rights to freedom of speech and peacefully to assemble" of members of a Middle Eastern professor's organization.
4. Discretionary powers replaced normal civil rights safeguards. A defining feature of 2025 was the increased use of discretionary authority--executive proclamations, emergency powers, immigration discretion, regulatory investigations, and funding conditions--to achieve outcomes that would likely fail under traditional evidentiary or judicial scrutiny.
5. Constitutional rights narrowed. By the end of 2025, the legal status of American Muslims remained formally unchanged, but the conditions under which rights could be exercised had narrowed. Equal access to social opportunities--education, travel, civic participation, and nonprofit activity--was increasingly contingent on political alignment, silence, or litigation capacity. Equal protection depended less on neutral administration and more on after-the-fact judicial correction.
The analysis paints a grim picture while also demonstrating impactful options exercised by civil rights defenders. American Muslims and allied institutions exercised agency through legal action, public advocacy, and institutional engagement. Litigation proved relatively effective in asserting constitutional boundaries, with courts repeatedly rejecting censorship and viewpoint discrimination while protecting some rights to privacy. These interventions demonstrated that formal legal protections remain operative--with the caveat that litigation is often reactive rather than preventive. Courts and public pressure provided partial correctives, largely after harm had occurred and often at the very latest of stages.
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/cairs-2026-civil-rights-report-shows-the-right-to-be-different-narrowed-in-the-past-year/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR Welcomes Alabama Gov. Ivey's Decision to Commute Death Sentence for Charles Burton
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR Welcomes Alabama Gov. Ivey's Decision to Commute Death Sentence for Charles Burton
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a decision by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to commute the death sentence for Charles 'Sonny' Burton, a Muslim incarceree who was scheduled to be executed this month during the last 10 days of Ramadan for a crime he did not commit.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ivey removed
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR Welcomes Alabama Gov. Ivey's Decision to Commute Death Sentence for Charles Burton
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a decision by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to commute the death sentence for Charles 'Sonny' Burton, a Muslim incarceree who was scheduled to be executed this month during the last 10 days of Ramadan for a crime he did not commit.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ivey removedCharles Burton from death row. Mr. Burton had been on death row for more than 30 years for his role in a 1991 robbery at an auto parts store where a customer, Doug Battle, was killed during the crime. He and his accomplice, Derrick DeBruce, along with four other men, took part in the robbery, but it was DeBruce who shot and killed Battle. Burton was outside the store when the killing occurred. DeBruce, now deceased, had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment while Burton remained on death row.
SEE: Gov. Ivey commutes Charles 'Sonny' Burton's death sentence (https://www.wsfa.com/2026/03/10/gov-ivey-commutes-charles-sonny-burtons-death-sentence/)
In a statement, CAIR Alabama Staff Attorney Britton O'Shields said:
"We thank Governor Ivey for sparing Mr. Burton's life and preventing a grave injustice from being committed. Mr. Burton did not commit the crime for which he was sentenced to death while the man who did didn't receive the death penalty. He changed his life and became a faith leader, a mentor and an example of redemption to other inmates. Taking his life would be unconscionable."
She noted that CAIR previously called for Mr. Burton's sentence to be commuted.
SEE: CAIR Action Alert: Call on Alabama Governor to Commute Death Sentence of 75-Year-Old Faith Leader Charles Burton (https://www.cair.com/press_releases/take-action-call-on-alabama-governor-to-commute-death-sentence-of-75-year-old-faith-leader-charles-burton/)
CAIR-Alabama Backs Calls for Gov. Ivey to Spare Charles Burton from Execution (https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-alabama-backs-calls-for-gov-ivey-to-spare-charles-burton-from-execution/)
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-alabama-gov-iveys-decision-to-commute-death-sentence-for-charles-burton/
[Category: Sociological]
CAIR Calls on Speaker Johnson to Stop Protecting Anti-Muslim Fascists in His Caucus
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR Calls on Speaker Johnson to Stop Protecting Anti-Muslim Fascists in His Caucus
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to stop protecting anti-Muslim fascists in his caucus after the speaker refused to condemn Andy Ogles for declaring that Muslims "do not belong in American society."
CAIR said that Johnson's attempt to deflect criticism of Ogles
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 11 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on March 10, 2026:
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CAIR Calls on Speaker Johnson to Stop Protecting Anti-Muslim Fascists in His Caucus
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to stop protecting anti-Muslim fascists in his caucus after the speaker refused to condemn Andy Ogles for declaring that Muslims "do not belong in American society."
CAIR said that Johnson's attempt to deflect criticism of Oglesby bringing up the baseless conspiracy theory about "sharia law" taking over America gives a green light for further expressions of hate.
Anti-Muslim rhetioric in Congress in recent months has included calls for the destruction of "mainstream Muslims" and the introduction of extreme legislation that, if enacted, would effectively ban the practice of Islam in the United States.
SEE: Mike Johnson declines to condemn Republicans' anti-Muslim remarks (https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/10/congress/mike-johnson-declines-to-condemn-republicans-anti-muslim-remarks-00820749) - Politico
SEE: Rep. Randy Fine's (R-FL) H.R.5512 No Shari'a Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5512?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.R.5512%22%7D&s=2&r=1)
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
"Speaker Johnson had a choice: condemn the hateful, un-American extremism coming from members of his own caucus or reinforce such extremism. He chose the latter.
"Andy Ogles, Randy Fine and other members of Congress are anti-Muslim fascists who speak about American Muslims the same way the Nazis once spoke about Jewish Germans. It is completely unacceptable for Speaker Johnson to downplay, excuse or justify their dangerous and despicable rhetoric.
"Ironically, the only people trying to impose their religion on America are those politicians who seek to ban Muslims from our nation, who try to force public school teachers to read the Bible to their students, and who demand that our nation go to war in the Middle East to fulfill their end times prophecies."
CAIR noted that using "sharia" as a code word for "Islam" was a tactic developed by anti-Muslim extremists in the 2000s to get around America's Constitutional aversion to attacking entire faith traditions.
McCaw added, "Like canon law for Catholics and halacha for Orthodox Jews, sharia refers to the rules that Muslims follow including giving charity, praying regularly, standing up for what is right, being honest in business practices, and obeying the law of the land."
SEE: CAIR's Educational Fact Sheet on "Sharia in American Life" (https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Sharia-in-American-Life-October-2025.pdf)
CAIR pointed to numerous recent statements by House Republicans documenting that Islam, not simply its religious practices, is the target of a growing number of House Republicans, many of them Members of the so called "Sharia-Free America" caucus:
1. In a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Feb. 17, 2026, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) wrote, "No more public displays of Islam please. It is not American." Archive.
2. On March 9, 2026, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) posted the following to his X (formerly Twitter account), "Muslims don't belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie." Archive.
3. A "Sharia-Free America Caucus" graphic shared by Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) features Rep. Ogles saying, "Islam is a religion of violence, abuse of women, and ruthless political conquest. Its laws and practices have no place in American society. That's why I joined the Sharia Free American [sic] Caucus. Islam is conquering Europe, and I refuse to let it conquer America."
4. Caucus co-founder Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) posted, "Islam is on the march and seeks world domination" to his X (formerly Twitter) account.
5. During a November 19, 2025 floor speech Rep. Self said he believes "Islam is a culture with a patina of religion." He later also added, "There is no denying Islam's intent to dominate Western civilization. Their stated objective is to destroy us from within." Finally, Self believes, "While Western civilization has evolved, Islam has not. Islam is stuck in the eighth century."
6. Caucus member Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) has discussed the need to "solve the Muslim problem," and suggested the need to "destroy" "mainstream Muslims." Fine has supported the starvation of Palestinian civilians, a war crime, and a religious cleansing of the U.S. via the mass removals of mainstream Muslims from the United States. Fine has faced backlash for implying dogs are preferable to Muslims.
7. During an interview with Newsmax, Rep. Brandon Gill said, "The reality is that Islam is a political ideology that is incompatible with the United States. It's incompatible with our constitutional system and with Western civilization more broadly."
8. In an interview with WBAP's Morning News Podcast on February 3, 2026, Caucus co-founder Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) warned against the "Islamification of our country" which, according to Roy, "is inconsistent with Western civilization
CAIR today released its 2026 Civil Rights Report "The Right to be Different," which documents a pattern of public officials using their offices to narrow the definitions of what Americans can look like, say, or believe in 2025.
WATCH CAIR'S NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THE REPORT (https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/videos/1462384071968696).
SEE: 2026 Civil Rights Report: The Right to be Different (https://action.cair.com/a/the-right-to-be-different)
SEE: Trump crackdown on protests and immigration led to Islamophobia, Muslim group says (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-crackdown-protests-immigration-led-islamophobia-muslim-group-says-2026-03-10/) - Reuters
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-calls-on-speaker-johnson-to-stop-protecting-anti-muslim-fascists-in-his-caucus/
[Category: Sociological]
