By Husnaa Vhora
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) will support four bills in Springfield for Illinois Muslim Action Day (IMAD) on April 27. These include ensuring police accountability practices (SB0058), expanding safe zones for immigrants (HB0426), defending religious freedoms in the workplace (SB1697), and combating hate crimes (HB3711).
One of the bills, SB1697 – otherwise known as the Religious Garb Bill, passed the Illinois General Assembly labor committee on March 15 in Springfield, after a CIOGC-led effort to collect witness slips and provide testimony. The bill, which is up for a second reading in the Senate next week protects an employee’s right to wear any attire, clothing, or facial hair due to religious beliefs.
CIOGC is supporting bills that affect the broader Illinois community like the Immigration Safe Zones Act which is also part of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights’ (ICIRR) agenda. The bill would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to have a warrant or a judge order to detain undocumented immigrants and makes certain places like churches and schools immigration “safe zones” for the undocumented. CIOGC is coordinating with ICIRR to push the bill forward as part of Illinois Muslim Action Day. To learn more about IMAD and how you can participate, visit our IMAD page.