CAIR launches back-to-school campaign on Muslim students’ rights
National guide addresses bullying and free-speech restrictions as anti-Muslim complaints reach a record high
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest US Muslim civil rights group, has launched a national “Back to School Know Your Rights” campaign to help Muslim students, families, and educators respond to bullying, harassment, discrimination, and restrictions on free speech.
The campaign offers a resource guide, educational materials, and webinars covering students’ constitutional rights, and forms part of CAIR’s “Unhostile Campus” effort to defend free speech and academic freedom on college campuses.
It comes amid what CAIR calls unprecedented anti-Muslim discrimination: its 2026 civil rights report recorded 8,683 complaints in 2025, the highest since it began tracking in 1996.
A 2025 study by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding found about half of Muslim families with school-aged children reported religious-based bullying in the previous year, against 23 percent of families generally — with school officials identified as the source in about a third of cases.
CAIR warned that tensions could rise as schools address the September 11 attacks — whose 25th anniversary is approaching — and the genocide in Gaza.
Research and advocacy director Corey Saylor said Muslim students should be able to practice their faith, express their views, and organize without intimidation.
The guide covers bullying, prayer requests, religious dress, dietary accommodations, Ramadan, Eid, and classroom discussions of September 11 and Gaza, with templates for parents and staff, and urges those facing discrimination to document and report it.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
