GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD) is calling on Marylanders to contact several public officials in that state to request that they withdraw from participation in the upcoming Maryland Conservative Action Network Conference in Annapolis because the leader of a designated anti-Muslim hate group will speak at the event.

[NOTE: CAIR also announced today that it has called on the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) to allow female inmates to wear religiously-mandated head coverings, called "hijab." ( http://tinyurl.com/SCDOCHijab) In addition, the Washington-based civil rights organization today renewed its call for due process for a Michigan Muslim on the 500th day of his indefinite detention in Iran. ( http://tinyurl.com/500DaysIran)]

CAIR-MD said Dels. Nic Kipke and Neil Parrott will join County Commissioners Richard Rothschild and Blaine Young at the Saturday event featuring a keynote address by Pamela Geller.

SEE: Maryland Conservative Action Network Conference
http://www.mdconservatives.com/

An action alert distributed by CAIR-MD calls on concerned citizens to send those officials a letter, which states in part:

GO TO FULL ACTION ALERT: (For Maryland residents only.)
http://tinyurl.com/ac5k8xs

"You are one of the few public officials who have chosen to speak at this conference. I believe your appearance with a hate group leader would be a disservice to your constituents and would bring disrepute to your office. I respectfully urge you to withdraw from this conference.

"The headline speaker at this event is Pamela Geller, one of the nation's most virulent Islamophobes. Geller's organization, Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which also named Geller as a member of the 'anti-Muslim inner circle.'

"Geller has bragged online that she uses a Quran, Islam's holy text, as a doorstop. Two hotels, one in Texas and another in Tennessee, dropped scheduled events that featured Geller as a speaker. Her hate blog was cited by Anders Breivik, the terrorist who went on a killing spree in Norway.

"Geller has claimed that 'Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam' and that Islam 'mandates' lies and deception. She has also posted images on her blog that include a fake photograph of then Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan in a Nazi uniform, another fake image of President Obama urinating on an American flag, and drawings purporting to depict Islam's Prophet Muhammad as a pig.

"One image posted by Geller, headlined 'Piss Be Upon Him,' showed one of the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet covered in urine. ('Piss Be Upon Him' is designed to mock the traditional phrase 'Peace Be Upon Him' that Muslims use when mentioning any prophet of God.) In a 2010 blog entry, Geller posted a video claiming that Muslims engage in bestiality."

CAIR-MD is also encouraging concerned citizens to take part in a protest of Geller's presence at the Saturday event.

SEE: Protest MD Republicans Bigoted Anti-Muslim Conference http://www.facebook.com/events/511328068899458/

Geller was recently the subject of a CAIR "Islamophobe profile" documenting the individuals and organizations involved in spreading anti-Muslim bias in the United States.

SEE: Pamela Geller's Islamophobe Profile
http://www.cair.com/portals/0/pdf/Pamela_Geller.pdf

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-MD Government Relations Director Saqib Ali, (301) 660-7640, Cell: (240) 812-9671, E-Mail: sali@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations