As-salaamu alaykum(Peace be with you),

 

When a crisis such as the Fort Hood attack and now the government’s move to seize four American mosques occurs, CAIR is there to defend you and the Muslim community.

Within hours of the Fort Hood attack, CAIR, along with other organizations, held a news conference at its Washington, D.C. headquarters and issued a statement of condemnation to thousands of local, national and international media outlets.

 

Perhaps you saw CAIR spokespeople interviewed on MSNBC's Hardball or on PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, CNN, MSNBC, or the BBC. Or maybe you read CAIR quotes in the Washington Post, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, or USA Today.

CAIR's professional staff has been working non-stop in dealing with these crises.

 

CAIR provided advice and support for Islamic centers nationwide on how to handle the crisis, including ensuring your safety in case of an anti-Muslim backlash. CAIR soon became the most watched non-profit on You Tube.

 

Our tone and immediate response is paying off. Major media acknowledged the strong statement that American Muslims issued condemning the Fort Hood attack. On CNN, Anderson Cooper reported that CAIR “reacted to the shooting spree, condemning the attack in the strongest terms possible.” ON MSNBC’s Hardball, Chris Matthews noted that CAIR was “quick to condemn the massacre.”

 

But our efforts are not without associated expenses. Sending just one statement about the Muslim community's stance against violence and extremism can cost thousands of dollars in staff time and distribution costs.

 

There’s no way for me to soften this: We need financial help to meet these crises and push back against those who seek to score political points off the Muslim community in the wake of the Fort Hood tragedy.

 

Please consider giving $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or whatever you can.

If you donated in the past, please consider doubling that donation.

 

Thank you for your support and may Allah bless you. We will continue to monitor the situation to prevent backlash against our community.

 

Nihad Awad

P.S. Responding effectively to this crisis is pushing CAIR’s resources to the limit. Please donate right now. Then send this appeal to your friends and family, and post to Facebook, Twitter, and other Internet sites.