CAIR-MI to React to Ruling on Trademark Infringement by Hate Blogger

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, January 10, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) will hold a news conference in Detroit following a 2 p.m. court hearing to determine whether the Washington-based Muslim civil rights group will be granted a temporary restraining order barring an anti-Muslim blogger from misusing its name.

On Friday, Judge Avern Cohn of the U.S. District Court in Detroit rejected hate blogger Debbie Schlussel's claim that her use of multiple versions of CAIR's name is an example of protected First Amendment free-speech rights. Judge Cohn said the case would focus instead on whether Schlussel is violating CAIR's trademark rights by claiming that she is the real "CAIR" and that representatives of the advocacy group founded in 1994 are "impostors and frauds."

SEE: Is Debbie Schlussel Violating CAIR Trademark?

http://tinyurl.com/2a38bq3

CAIR's lawsuit also alleges that Schussel is "funneling donations for an entity she calls 'CAIR-Michigan' into an online account she has publicly used on prior occasions as a receptacle for donations to other entities [she] controls."

SEE: CAIR's Lawsuit Against Debbie Schlussel

http://www.4shared.com/document/4Ls80IjM/Final_Filing.html

On her blog, Schlussel said she registered the CAIR names to "to drive the Muslims crazy." On Twitter, Schussel tweeted that she would use CAIR's misappropriated names "to expose and fight #Islam." She has a long history of anti-Islam and extremist postings. The Southern Poverty Law Center classified Schlussel as an "anti-Islam blogger."

SEE: Examples of Debbie Schlussel's Extremist Views

http://mediamatters.org/search/tag/debbie_schlussel

In one recent post, headlined "No Tears for Egypt's Coptic Christians," Schlussel wrote that the recent terror attack on a Coptic church in Egypt was "a great example of karma." "It's a bitch. . .I wish it could go on forever and that both sides would lose," wrote Schlussel. [NOTE: CAIR issued a statement condemning the church bombing.]

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Lena Masri, 248-390-9784, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail: [email protected]; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations