CAIR-Washington State

Highly motivated individuals needed to join our organizing committees! Click here to download a pdf document with position listings and descriptions, and apply today!

(Please note: If you are unable to download the document through the link above, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Kelsey Caudebec at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so that we may send you a list of committee descriptions via e-mail)

People of various faiths got together at Olympia on February 14, 2012 for Interfaith Advocacy Day organized by Faith Action Network (FAN) and co-sponsored by a host of groups including CAIR-WA. Many around the world may have been celebrating Valentine’s day, but expressions of love for their significant others was quite possibly the last thing on the minds of lawmakers in Olympia as they faced a cut-off day.

The cut-off is the last day in the legislature to consider bills in the house it originated in, be it the Senate or the House of Representatives, before it moves on to the other house. (Read more about the state legislative process in Olympia here.) In the midst of all this, participants at the Interfaith Advocacy Day looked to make themselves heard by their legislators, especially with regard to proposed cuts by the Governor in various critical services for vulnerable sections of the populace.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, advocates for various religious and cultural groups met in Lacey, Washington on February 14, 2012 to resolve concerns raised by these groups. Instigated and organized by Ms. Joenne McGerr, head of Religious Programs with the Department of Corrections (DOC), the meeting brought together advocates from the Jewish, Native American, Christian, Mormon, Buddhist, Wiccan, and Muslim communities who had concerns about the services and accommodations provided for religious and cultural programming in state prisons.

Surprisingly, many of the issues that have been reported to CAIR-WA by Muslim inmates were echoed by representatives of other religious and cultural groups as well. In attendance was CAIR-WA Civil Rights Coordinator Jennifer Gist, with a long list of issues to address.

Members of the Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church (WUUC) got an introduction to the parallels between Unitarian Universalism and Islam as speakers from CAIR-WA and the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) came over to speak at Sunday services on February 12, 2012.

The service was another in the series of efforts by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) to make congregations around the state aware of the issues faced by American Muslims. UUSC believes that Muslims in the US have been subject to unwarranted discrimination and persecution as a result of a misinterpretation of their religion and political beliefs.

The series, called ‘Building Bridges’, looks to correct any false impressions by organizing workshops where Muslims and UU church members get together to discuss their respective faiths. Carol Bowers, worship associate at the Woodinville service, spoke about the involvement of her church on this occasion. Said Carol, “Given our denomination’s tradition of tolerance for other religious groups, it is incumbent on us to reach out to people of Islam.”

As part of an ongoing effort to convey concerns and suggestions to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), CAIR-WA has been an active part of several coalitions and working groups to debrief the Department of Justice (DoJ) findings regarding excessive use of force, and brainstorm creative ways to improve the relationship between Seattle's diverse communities and the police department.

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012 CAIR-WA Civil Rights Coordinator Jennifer Gist attended the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board (OPARB) report back on Phase I of their attempt to collaborate with community members to move forward in light of the DoJ’s findings.

Minority groups and federal agencies met at the US Attorney’s office in Seattle on January 26, 2012 as part of the quarterly community engagement roundtable organized by the office of civil rights and civil liberties (CRCL). Kareem Shora, head of community engagement at CRCL, described the roundtable as “a very informal conversation, but agenda driven. The idea is to try and answer as many questions as we can, gain an understanding of certain policies and work together on improving things in these areas.” Last held in Seattle in October, 2011, on the agenda this time were several issues raised by CAIR-WA in relation to the citizenship applications of Muslim applicants.