Political Influence Operations
Date: March-November 2003
Description:
In 2003 CAIR Maryland threatened legal action against Bank of America for the treatment of Muslim employee Ms. Gul Naz Anwar. For restitution CAIR demanded among other things that Bank of America “institute CAIR’s Diversity/Sensitivity Training to all employees.” CAIR warned BOA that it had “resolved” a number of acts of discrimination and defamation with top American companies such as Nike, JC Penny, Sears, Burger King, Office Max, Office Depot, Delta Air Lines, Best Buy and Microsoft in the past. CAIR MD Executive Director Seyed Rizwan Mowlana later threatened a Muslim boycott of Bank of America if a meeting with all interested parties was not held by Thursday November 6, 2003. On October 28, 2003 Mowlana solicited the help of a foreign ambassador, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi of Pakistan, asking him to write a “strong letter” to Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis.
Excerpts:
Page 15:
October 27,2003
H.E. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi
Ambassador
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
2315 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Your Excellency,
I hope and pray that this letter finds you and your family in the best of health and the highest level of Iman, Ameen. I also bring you greetings and congratulations on the blessed month of Ramadan.
I would like to bring your attention to an incident in which a Muslim sister was persistently discriminated by a major bank in the United States with branches in the Muslim world. The Muslim sister was subjugated to verbal abuse simply because of her religious belief and the hijab she observes.
Attached is an action alert that the Maryland Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Maryland) initiated. Obviously the response has been overwhelming and we have received emails, faxes, and phone calls not only from your Muslim constituents but also from Muslim in your homeland. Unfortunately, Bank of America refuses to acknowledge this problem. Their blatant refusal to meet with us to bring about an amicable settlement not only has angered the Muslims worldwide but also has implied their belligerence towards our beliefs.
I urge you at this time to write a strong letter to the CEO of Bank of America, Mr. Ken Lewis, demanding for a swift resolution. I would also request a copy of this letter to be sent to me. I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to address this issue which is a concern to all Muslims. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me at (REDACTED).
Sincerely,
Seyed Rizwan Mowlana
Executive Director
Source(s):
Comments on this entry are closed.