We Keep Us Safe: Know Your Rights on Campus was an interactive workshop that was co-hosted by the Middle-Eastern Studies Program and MECA for Muslims, Arabs and allies. The workshop featured CAIR-Philadelphia’s Executive Director, Ahmet Tekelioglu and Legal Director, Adam Alaa Attia Esq. Each person in the workshop was given a Fourth Amendment Rights card in either Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu by Reverend Yvette Davis from the Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity. The first part of the workshop featured discussions of personal and communal incidents of Arabophobic and Islamophobia and future reactions to similar incidents. The second part of the workshop discussed legal actions that can be taken after Arabophobic and Islamaphobic incidents.
CAIR is the Council of American-Islamic Relations. CAIR’s mission is to, “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.” CAIR engages in civil rights, education, governmental affairs, media and interfaith relations, research (such as surveying/polling)and voter registration.
Attia discussed guaranteed legal protections within the second part of the workshop. These legal protections included the First Amendment, which guarantees free exercise of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition;the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure; the Sixth Amendment, which grants the right to a speedy and fair trial, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees naturalization if one was born in the United States. These legal protections are in place for everyone, regardless of immigration status.
In the first part of the workshop, Dr. Tekelioglu encouraged knowledge of the law as well as the sharing of experiences. Knowledge of the law is critical. Even if one’s rights become violated, having an understanding of what is happening and how to describe it will assist the person during the situation, as well as when the situation stops.
This event was very important to attendees. It provided a safe space for Muslim and Arab students and faculty that is not usually available on Dickinson’s campus. Having resources like CAIR so readily available was beneficial, and it was demonstrated by the solidarity shown in that room. Camilla Chakir ‘27 stated, “[There is] an invisibility on the emotional weight [of] the issues [of] Muslim students on campus…events like this attract people who need community.” When our campus lacks spaces like these, Muslim students’ issues are unheard. Incidents of racism and Islamophobia fall through the cracks of discussion because Arab and Muslim students have limited spaces to communicate about their incidents of discrimination and the next steps.Dickinson is in need of events like the We Keep Us Safe: Know Your Rights on Campus workshop to ensure all Arab and Muslim students know that they have a place on campus, and have the ability to communicate incidents of discrimination.
