NJ Resident Represented in CAIR, Law office of Maria Kari Lawsuit Against State Department for Abandoning Palestinian Americans in Gaza Genocide 

(NEWARK, NJ — 12/19/2024) — The Law Office of Maria Kari and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest civil rights and advocacy organization, filed a lawsuit against the State Department for failing to evacuate American citizens, American legal residents, and the family members of Americans trapped under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. 

The lawsuit comes after Plaintiffs, all Palestinian Americans, have tried, for months, to exhaust non-legal means to escape Gaza. Each plaintiff in the lawsuit is eligible to be evacuated but has been summarily ignored by the State Department and other Biden administration officials. Meanwhile, when similarly situated Americans of different backgrounds have been trapped in conflict zones, the State Department has acted with appropriate urgency. The State Department has cited the closure of Rafah as the ostensible reason for its failure to help Palestinian-Americans in Gaza, but the lawsuit specifically calls for evacuations through Kerem Shalom, where evacuations have been done in the past.  

SEE: Lawsuit filed in US District Court  

New Jersey is home to one of the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. Marowa Abusharia, 24. was born and raised in the Garden State and currently resides in Woodbridge with her twin baby daughters Mariam and Mayar. Her husband, Loai Abusharia, is trapped in northern Gaza, where Israeli attacks have been intensifying. 

Loai Abusharia qualifies for evacuation from Gaza because he is the spouse of a US citizen. However, evacuation requests have largely gone unaddressed since October 2023.  

“Every time I manage to get a hold of my husband who is trapped in northern Gaza, I don’t know if it will be the last time I hear his voice,” plaintiff Marowa Abusharia said. “My twin daughters are now 15 months old, and their father hasn’t even met them yet. I don’t know if he will ever get to hold them. It’s agonizing not knowing if he’s dead or alive day in and day out while I take care of our twin daughters alone.”  

SEE: Photos of Marowa Abusharia, her husband and twin daughters  

The lawsuit alleges that the State Department’s disparate treatment of Palestinian Americans  violates the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection citizens and legal residents abroad under federal law. This is not the first time Americans in Gaza have had to turn to the courts for assistance.  

SEE: Palestinian Americans sue state department on behalf of relatives stuck in Gaza (The Guardian) 

“With every day that passes, the chance that these Palestinian-Americans will die goes up,” said Lead Attorney Maria Kari. “The State Department must do the right thing and save our clients from certain death.”  

“The government has a duty to protect American citizens and has failed its duty here by abandoning our clients in Gaza. We simply ask the State Department to treat Palestinian-Americans the way it treats Americans of other backgrounds when they’re trapped in conflict zones,” said CAIR National Deputy Litigation Director Gadeir Abbas.

END 

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. 

 La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos. 

Contact: Lead Attorney, Maria Kari, info@mariakari.org; CAIR National Deputy Litigation Director, Gadeir Abbas, 202-742-6420, gabbas@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Aya Elamroussi, 551-208-5482, aelamroussi@cair.com

(Newark, NJ – 12/18/2024) — On Thursday, Dec. 19, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), along with the Law Office of Maria Kari, will announce the filing of a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State for failing to evacuate American citizens, American legal residents, and the family members of Americans trapped under Israeli bombardment in the Gaza genocide.

WHAT: CAIR-New Jersey News Conference

WHEN: Thursday, December 19, 12:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: CAIR-New Jersey office, 570 Broad St. Suite 703, Newark, NJ 07102

LIVESTREAM: https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNewJersey/

CONTACT: Aya Elamroussi, CAIR-NJ Communications Manager, aelamroussi@cair.com, 551-208-5482

BACKGROUNDER:

In the last 14 months, at least 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Palestinian-Americans are trapped amidst the destruction, facing a severe risk of losing their own lives while others need urgent medical treatment.

SEE: This man has never met his American-born twin babies. Why he is trapped overseas

While the State Department has acted promptly to evacuate similarly situated Americans of different backgrounds in other conflict zones, including Israeli-Americans after Oct. 7, it has failed to promptly evacuate Palestinian-Americans from Gaza. The lawsuit challenges the State Department’s failure to evacuate these Palestinian-Americans on constitutional grounds.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.    

CAIR-NJ Congratulates Local and Global Syrian Community on Liberation Following Historic Fall of Assad Dictatorship

(Newark, NJ – 12/9/2024) The Council on American-Islamic Relations of New Jersey (CAIR-NJ) today congratulated the people of Syria and Syrian Americans on the historic fall of the brutal Assad dictatorship, a moment of profound significance for the people of Syria and for all those who have long stood in solidarity with their pursuit of justice, freedom, and human dignity.

The ousting of Bashar Al Assad’s regime on Sunday morning brings an end to one of the most violent and oppressive authoritarian governments in the modern history of the Middle East. Many took to the streets to celebrate the Syrian people’s liberation across the world, including in New Jersey, the wider U.S., and of course, Syria.

In a statement, CAIR-New Jersey Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said,

“CAIR-New Jersey joins Syrians across the world in celebrating the end of a brutal era, one that has been defined by war crimes, the systematic targeting of civilians, torture, and the violent suppression of human rights. The people of Syria can now look toward a future where justice, accountability, and peace are no longer dreams but achievable realities.

“We praise God for this pivotal victory toward justice in Syria. We pray we witness a ripple effect of liberation throughout the Middle East and the world.

“We urge the incoming Trump administration to take immediate steps to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, return occupied lands to the Syrian people, and ensure that neither the U.S. government nor the Israeli government interferes with Syria’s sovereignty or undermines the efforts of Syrians to build a democratic and stable future. It is crucial that all international actors respect Syria’s territorial integrity and allow the Syrian people to determine their own future free from external interference.”

SEE: New Jersey Celebrates Syria’s Liberation

This historic moment marks the end of one of the longest and bloodiest authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. For years, Syrian civilians endured unspeakable horrors, from chemical weapons attacks and widespread torture to mass incarcerations and displacement on an unimaginable scale. Syria is one of the largest displacement crises globally, with more than 14 million people forcibly displaced since the 2011 civil war.

SEE: CAIR-NJ reaffirms its longstanding support for the Syrian people

These atrocities led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and caused immense suffering for millions more. Despite this brutality, the unwavering spirit of the Syrian people never faltered. The courageous men and women who took to the streets in 2011 as part of the wider Arab Spring movement to demand basic freedoms now stand as heroes in the global struggle for democracy and human rights.

CAIR’s mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

END

CONTACT: Aya Elamroussi, aelamroussi@cair.com, 551-208-5482