On Saturday, September 25, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab spoke at a workshop dealing with post 9/11 backlash. The workshop, entitled "A Decade of Discrimination and Heightened Hate: Dealing with the Post 9/11 Backlash", was organized by SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together).

South Asian, Arab American, Muslim and Sikh communities continue to face hostility, violence, negative stereotypes, and state-sanctioned racial profiling and punishment. Public reaction to the proposed Muslim community center near Ground Zero illustrates the climate of hate across the entire country. This workshop explored how organizations and targeted communities are responding with efforts to expand tolerance, legal protections, human rights and bridge-building across communities.

Presenters were Vega Subramaniam from South Asian Americans Leading Together, Ahmed Rehab from CAIR-Chicago and Aparna Sharma from South Asian Progressive Action Collective.