CAIR-LA Thanks Coalition Members, Residents for Speaking up at Yorba Linda Meeting
Anaheim, CA: The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) March 17 thanked Asian Pacific Islander coalition members and Yorba Linda residents who attended Tuesday night’s Yorba Linda City Council Meeting and spoke out against hateful rhetoric aimed at Muslim families and children of last month’s ICNA Relief charity event.
During a public comment period that lasted two hours, representatives from the Japanese American Citizens’ League (JACL), Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR), Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHR), Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Asian and Pacific Islanders California Action Network (APIsCAN), and students from UCI and CSUN urged the council members to formally take a stand against anti-Muslim hate speech and work toward making Yorba Linda a more inclusive city for all residents.
Craig Ishii of JACL and Kathy Masaoka of NCRR said:
“As stewards of the Japanese American community - the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR) - stand in solidarity with our American Muslim brothers and sisters after this unfortunate incident of hate in Yorba Linda. Together, our mission is based on the history and experience of the Japanese American community, including our experience with the incarceration during World War II. With this experience in mind, our organizations advocate for civil rights of all communities facing prejudice and discrimination. We urge the Yorba Linda City Council to issue a resolution condemning hate speech and promoting a safe, inclusive neighborhood for all its residents. “
CAIR-LA Government Relations Coordinator Adel Syed added, “The Yorba Linda City Council meeting showed what true representative democracy is all about. Concerned citizens expressed the need for civility in dialogue and the urgency for the Yorba Linda City Council to unequivocally denounce the hate shown to fellow residents in their own community.”
Royce, Pauly, Lugo and Rabbi Eliezrie Asked to Stop Excusing anti-Muslim Hate
The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) March 17 called on the speakers of the Feb. 13 Yorba Linda protest rally to denounce hateful rhetoric spewed by protesters targeting families at a Muslim charity event.
Two weeks ago, CAIR-LA released a short video of the anti-Muslim protest showing elected officials provoking anti-Muslim sentiment and protesters yelling slurs at families and small children, such as “Go home terrorist,” “Muhammad is a pervert,” “Muhammad is a child molester,” and “Go home and beat your wife, she needs a good beating.” The video rapidly spread over the Internet in a matter of days and was watched by over 700,000 people.
Representative Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), Villa Park Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, Chapman University Law School Professor Karen Lugo and Rabbi David Eliezrie of Chabad Yorba Linda, who were among the featured speakers, have yet to apologize to the Muslim community and categorically condemn the hateful and violent rhetoric emanating from the protest rally, described by Rabbi Eliezrie as a ‘peaceful’ protest. Instead, the speakers have gone on to make baseless claims that their ‘peaceful’ protest was separate from a ‘splinter group’ of protesters.
