Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area Office (CAIR-LA)

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

Representing the half-million American Muslims who reside in Orange, Los Angeles and surrounding counties, the Greater Los Angeles Area office (CAIR-LA) is one of the oldest and largest CAIR offices in the country. The CAIR-LA branch was organized in 1996 by a group of dedicated volunteers in Southern California who saw a need for a unique kind of Muslim organization – an organization that would work to uphold civil rights of American Muslims, foster a better understanding of the Islamic faith and its followers, and help find avenues for American Muslims to integrate more fully into a healthy democracy and broader society. 

Since its founding, CAIR-LA has been at the forefront of the fight against Islamophobia, exposing bigotry and the lack of integrity of elected officials and media outlets. The expansion and growth of CAIR-LA began with only a handful of volunteers and has grown into the largest CAIR office in the nation. We have stood up for America’s principles of democracy, freedom, and justice, provided an uncompromising voice to uphold the Constitution, and have followed, and will lead, the honored tradition of great leaders and communities who have contributed to this beautiful democratic landscape.  

Today, CAIR-LA is a household name among Southland Muslims, and a reliable resource and partner for media, public officials, and policymakers. In a census survey of the SoCal Muslim community, the CAIR-LA chapter was selected as the most trusted information source among many options, including regular and ethnic news outlets and mosques. With the help of indispensable partners and allies, CAIR-LA expanded its civil rights work and became a stalwart defender of Muslim Americans’ First Amendment rights to freedom of worship and freedom of expression, producing public service announcements, starting an innovative national library project, conducting thousands of media interviews and lectures, challenging negative depictions of Islam and Muslims in film and media, and resolving hundreds of civil rights complaints from community members on an annual basis.

CAIR-LA has become well-known as an organization structured to protect and support the civil liberties of American Muslims. Even beyond its mandate to advocate for Muslim Americans, CAIR-LA has established a reputation as an advocate for any group or individual whose civil rights are in jeopardy partnering with local minority and legal aid organizations. The establishment of CAIR-LA has helped to grow a stronger culture of engagement and activism among American Muslims as well as created a space from which Muslims may claim their rightful place within the national fabric of America.

CAIR-LA accomplished the following in 2025:

1) Rallied hundreds of community members, including 88 youth, at the Capitol building in Sacramento, wherein they held 120 individual meetings with lawmakers to advocate on policies that mattered to them
2) Successfully advocated for AB 49, which protects immigrant children from ICE officers who enter school sites or childcare facilities, and AB 91, which would establish a Middle Eastern and North African demographic data standard across state surveys, censuses, and government programs.
3) Held comprehensive youth leadership development and civic engagement courses, from which 85 youth graduated
4) Brought 13 youth to Sacramento to meet local officials and hold a mock trial on the State Capitol assembly floor
5) Held a multi-cultural event with over 1,300 attendees, wherein CAIR-LA invited performances from various cultural and ethnic groups to celebrate diversity and foster community bridging.
6) Completed 536 civil rights cases, which include providing legal counsel, legal representation, and advocacy on behalf of people who experienced civil rights violations
7) Completed 2,137 immigration cases, allowing immigrants and refugees from over 70 countries to attain legal status in California

With the marked rise in xenophobic and hateful rhetoric from in the public arena, CAIR-LA is working to address the concerns of the immigrant, Muslim, and BIPOC communities. We have identified three key areas of focus to address the attacks on the immigrant community and the rise in hate that we are seeing across the nation. These three areas take a holistic approach to meeting essential services and ensuring collective care and empowerment of local immigrant, Muslim, and BIPOC communities. These three areas are:
1. Sustaining and increasing the capacity of our Immigrants’ Rights Center to ensure continued immigration services. We also seek to increase community outreach and education to keep communities informed about the latest changes to immigration law.
2. Increasing the capacity of our Civil Rights team’s ability to respond to the anticipated rise in reported hate crimes and hate incidents by providing representation, advocacy, and legal services to victims of hate.
3. Supporting our Policy department’s work in increasing community empowerment, power building, and civic engagement and countering and opposing harmful legislation.

CAIR-LA serves the following eight counties of Southern California: Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo.

The cost of hate coming from some politicians, media outlets, as well as hate crimes against our community have shaken many of us. Awful events that we have no control over, whether they happen overseas or close to home, constantly remind us that we are unfairly put under suspicion. This can take a toll on our community, and especially on our youth.

But what I would like to remind all of us that, while our struggle against Iislamophobia and hate continues on, we must not forget about the many positive stories that are happening all over the country. Fortunately, we are surrounded by fellow Americans who join us in rejecting all forms of bigotry. More and more Americans are now engaging their Muslim neighbors and are voicing their opposition to Islamophobia and fear-mongering and those who are behind it.

Thanks to our supporters, CAIR will continue to reach to the public and build coalitions that promote justice, partnerships and mutual understanding. In addition, our community will be able to continue to invest in its institutions and maintain its commitment to advancing a better understanding of Islam. Year after year, we will be able to make new friends, protect more rights, empower more youth, stand for freedom and justice for more people and challenge more injustice and bigotry.

So thank you for your friendship, and for your moral and financial support.

With your generous support, CAIR-LA will be able to not only maintain its programs, but also expand them to meet the growing needs of the community in Orange County, especially underserved Muslims and immigrants. We would also be able to sustain our existing partnerships in the region and build new ones to best serve our community across the county.

What makes CAIR-LA unique is that it is the only organization, not only in Orange County, but also in Southern California, serving the Muslim immigrant community through a wide scope of programs and services. The scope of CAIR-LA’s work covers civic engagement, legal services, media relations, outreach and education, and youth empowerment. Thanks to the diversity of our Board and staff, we are also able to provide these programs and services in a culturally and linguistically sensitive environment, which is difficult to find elsewhere.

As an active and devoted member of CAIR-LA’s Board and community, I hope you will accept my invitation to support our work and our community.