CAIR Welcomes NM GOP Call for Resignation of Anti-Muslim Leader

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A prominent national Islamic
civil rights and advocacy group today welcomed a call by the New Mexico
Republican Party for the resignation of a local GOP leader who wrote that
"Muslims are our enemies" in a recent letter to the editor.

On Tuesday, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
called on state and national Republican Party officials to repudiate the
anti-Muslim comments written by Otero County Republican Women Chairperson
Marcia Stirman. In her letter to the Alamogordo Daily News, Stirman also
called presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama a "Muslim socialist." (Otero
County Republican Women is an affiliate of the National Federation of
Republican Women.)

SEE: Why I'm a Republican
http://www.alamogordonews.com/opinion/ci_10772782

A New Mexico Republican Party official now says: "Ms. Stirman does not speak
for the Republican Party. Her comments do not reflect the values and beliefs
of the Republican Party." Otero County GOP Chairwoman Sassy Tinling added:
"The Republican Party of Otero County board will convene to ask for Marcia
Stirman's resignation as chair of the Republican Women of Otero County."

SEE: Stirman Asked To Resign After Anti-Muslim Remarks
http://www.koat.com/politics/17774373/detail.html

"We welcome the positive response by party officials to Ms. Stirman's
disturbing and un-American views," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
"No political party should accept or excuse religious intolerance."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada. 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.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina
Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director, +1-202-488-8787,
+1-202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com, or Amina Rubin, Communications Coordinator,
+1-202-488-8787, arubin@cair.com, both of CAIR