CAIR-LA Hosts Congressman Keith Ellison for 2016 Election Forum 

 

On the morning of Saturday August 6th, CAIR-LA organized an election forum hosting Congressman Keith Ellison to meet and engage with Southern California Muslim leaders.

The 2016 election season has presented American Muslims with extraordinary challenges, mainly due to anti-Muslim rhetoric by presidential candidates calling on ban of Muslims, surveillance of mosques and normalization of anti-Muslim sentiment in the public sphere.

To combat Islamophobia and to grow the political power and influence of American Muslims, CAIR launched a campaign to mobilize the Muslim community by conducting major grassroots advocacy efforts including, ‘Meet the Candidate’ forums, voter registration drives, and community town halls throughout Southern California.
Hosting a 2016 Election Forum with Congressman Keith Ellison is one of many efforts CAIR-LA conducted for this election season.

The forum was an opportunity to hear from Minnesota Congressman Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the US Congress, on matters of anti-Muslim rhetoric, mobilizing the Muslim vote, engaging local Muslim communities, and strengthening their voices.

The event was hosted by CAIR-LA and co-sponsored by the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley (ICSGV).

Congressman Ellison addressed a full-house of Imams, mosque leadership and community leaders and activists from all across Southern California.

The lively engagement between Congressman Ellison and the local Muslim leadership reaffirmed the leadership's commitment to engage and mobilize Southern California Muslims to address their concerns through our political process.