More than 1,000 people attended the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) banquet in Arlington, Va.
to hear addresses by several elected officials including Keith Ellison,
the first Muslim in Congress.
Elected officials who spoke at the sold-out event included
Congressional Black Caucus member-elect Ellison (D-MN), and members
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Albert Wynn (D-MD). Ellison and
Jackson Lee offered their addresses by video. Saqib Ali, who was
elected to the Maryland House of Delegates (District 39) on November 7,
was also in attendance.
The event raised more than $620,000 to support CAIR's civil rights and
advocacy work on behalf of the American Muslim community. Another
dinner held by CAIR's Southern California chapter (CAIR-LA) over the
weekend raised more than $430,000. Some 1,800 people attended
that event.
