Muslim civil rights group reveals data on targeted congressional offices receiving action alerts messages in support for Ceasefire Now Resolution
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/25/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced today that participants in its congressional action alert have collectively sent almost 225,000 messages to Congress, urging support for a ceasefire in response to war crimes, including genocide, in Gaza by Israel.
CAIR is also disclosing which congressional offices have received targeted messages from its click-and-send action alert and which members of Congress have gone on to co-sponsor and support the adoption of H.Res. 786 – Ceasefire Now Resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Read: CAIR Ceasefire Now Action Alert Data: Has Your Member of Congress Received a Message?
Share: CAIR-Los Angeles Facebook Video: Ceasefire Now. Save the Children of Gaza
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said:
“As concerned members of the Muslim community, it is our moral duty to engage in meaningful dialogue with our representatives in Congress. We must urgently address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for an immediate ceasefire. Without our voices, Congress may only hear from those who support unchecked military actions and seek to rationalize civilian casualties among the Palestinian population. By speaking up and actively engaging with our elected officials, we can work towards a just and peaceful resolution.”
The top 10 Senators who have received CAIR’s action alert messages include: Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) with 12,824 messages; Laphonza Butler (D-CA) with 11,048 messages; Ted Cruz (R-TX) with 7,431 messages; John Cornyn III (R-TX) with 6,794 messages; Dick Durbin (D-IL) with 6,564 messages; Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) with 6,564 messages; Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) with 4,758 messages; Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with 4,746 messages; Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) with 3,801 messages; and Gary Peters (D-MI) with 3,801 messages.
The top 10 members of Congress in the House who have received CAIR’s messages include: Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL), with 2,061 messages; Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), with 1,162; Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) with 1,099 messages; Keith Self (R-TX) with 997 messages; Gerry Connolly (D-VA) with 980 messages; Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) with 978 messages; Debbie Dingell (D-MI) with 918 messages; Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) with 870 messages; Young Kim (R-CA) with 791 messages; and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) 789.
At the onset of the outbreak of violence, CAIR initially set a target of 1,000 messages to Congress. However, the response has far exceeded expectations, with some 75,000 individuals answering the call to action. As a result, more than 225,000 emails have been dispatched to members of the U.S. House and Senate by our supporters. CAIR is now expanding its challenge to all those concerned about Palestinian lives and well-being to join us in taking action 100,000 times, to collectively send at least 300,000 messages to Congress.
About the Congressional Ceasefire Now Resolution:
The primary goal of the Ceasefire Now Resolution, sponsored by a diverse group of dedicated members of Congress, calls on the Biden Administration to urgently seek a de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine. It also emphasizes the vital need for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza, with a primary goal of saving innocent lives caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict. CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush also participated in the joint-congressional press conference announcing the introduction of the resolution.
Endorsed by CAIR and nearly 50 other organizations, the Ceasefire Now Resolution offers an alternative to a looming bipartisan resolution endorsed by 390 other members of Congress, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks. That resolution essentially provides an open-ended endorsement for Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in the loss of thousands of Palestinian civilian lives.
BACKGROUNDER:
Yesterday, CAIR called Israeli attacks on Gaza “genocide” after the death toll of Palestinians topped 5,000, including more than 2,000 children.
CAIR also said U.S. officials will be complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza unless they intervene after the Israeli government announced that any Palestinian civilians who refuse to leave their homes in north Gaza could be identified as accomplices with a terrorist organization, and presumably targeted for killing by Israeli forces.
CAIR condemned a recent deadly Israeli airstrike targeting the Greek Orthodox Church campus in Gaza that killed 17 people.
Israel’s far-right defense minister has said that Israel is fighting “human animals” and that the entire Gaza population would be treated accordingly through a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip that blocks all supplies of electricity, food and fuel. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres he is “deeply distressed” by that blockade.
According to the Geneva Convention, states must allow the free passage of medical supplies, food, and other relief supplies for the benefit of a civilian population.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court states that it a war crime to: “Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, includin[sic] impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions.”
Collective punishment is also prohibited by Article 33 of the Geneva Conventions, which states: “No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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