Hi Friend,

I have some good news to share with you! This week, Muslim Advocates helped force an anti-Muslim to leave his job as Chicago police officer.

John Catanzara is a powerful officer in Chicago and is also the head of the Chicago police union. When it was revealed that he repeatedly posted anti-Muslim content on Facebook—including a post calling Muslims “savages” who “all deserve a bullet”— we sprang into action .

Last December, we called for Catanzara to be fired [[link removed]] . A couple months later, we teamed up with CAIR-Chicago, the ACLU of Illinois, the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition and the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIGOC) to convene a coalition of 78 groups [[link removed]] calling on Catanzara to be fired. We also organized a petition to the Chicago Police Board signed by over 27,000 people!

Muslim Advocates worked ceaselessly to emphasize the dangerous threat Catanzara poses to Muslim communities in Chicago and our campaign caught the attention of the press and the Chicago Police Department. We’re proud that our coalition made sure Catanzara’s anti-Muslim bigotry took center stage at his disciplinary hearing before the Chicago Police Board this week.
When the Chicago Police Board announced that they were going to investigate Catanzara, they cited a laundry list of offenses. But thanks to our coalition, Catanza’s anti-Muslim bigotry remained a priority. It is a demonstration of the power of our coalition that his anti-Muslim hate was always cited up top by the media and the Police Board , which repeatedly grilled Catanzara on his posts against Muslims on Monday.

Catanzara thought he could threaten Muslims with impunity but our campaign sent an unambiguous message that the dignity and safety of Muslim communities matters. It shows that when American Muslims speak out, they can shape the conversation and bring about real change.

At the end of Monday’s Chicago Police Board hearing, Catanzara surprised everyone by announcing his decision to resign instead of continuing to face the investigation. This was a victory for the Muslim communities of Chicago and all people who believe that the police should be held accountable to the communities they serve.

At a time of rising hate crimes against many communities, including American Muslims, it is essential that police departments rid themselves of bigoted officers who cannot be trusted to protect the lives and safety of their communities. American Muslims are not safe as long as armed police officers who openly call for their murder are allowed to walk the streets.

Of course, this story is not over yet but we did score a major victory this week that speaks to what American Muslims can achieve.

Whether it’s Catanzara or anyone else spouting anti-Muslim hatred, we will continue to lead the good fight!

In solidarity,
Eric Naing
Communications Director
Muslim Advocates

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