The images were horrifying, sparking international outcry — Israeli police stomping, punching and kicking a 15-year-old Tampa boy as he lay on a Jerusalem street.
Now, the ordeal of Tariq Khdeir appears to have sparked interest in protecting civil rights. The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida, the group that came to Khdeir’s aid in July and arranged his release from jail and return to Tampa, reported this week that it had raised more than a half-million dollars through a pair of banquets in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale this month.
“I think it sends a very clear message that the Florida community strongly believes in investing to protect civil rights and is interested in tolerance, respect and understanding at a time when many people in the world are working to promote division and disunity,” said Hassan Shibly, chief executive director of CAIR-Florida.
The banquets, held Nov. 15 in Fort Lauderdale and Saturday in Tampa, netted $575,000 in cash, pledges and stock. Shibly called to total a “historic milestone” for the group. Khdeir spoke at the Tampa banquet and is featured prominently in CAIR-Florida’s 2014 annual video.
“The most effective way of fund-raising is not asking for money, it is giving service to the community,” Shibly said. “When the community saw the tremendous impact we were able to have on someone whose civil rights were violated, that translated into donations.”
The proceeds from the banquets alone exceeded the $440,000 CAIR-Florida raised in all of 2013.
Khdeir, a sophomore at Universal Academy of Florida in Tampa, was in Israel visiting family this summer when his cousin was kidnapped and slain. He was arrested during a protest before the cousin’s funeral.
When footage of the beating and photos of Khdeir’s severely battered face circulated, his parents turned to CAIR-Florida. The group contacted government officials in Israel and at the White House, eventually securing his release and safe return to Tampa. He was met by family members, supporters and a horde of national media at Tampa International Airport.
The incident may have been CAIR-Florida’s most high-profile case, but it is among many situations it addresses on civil rights, immigration, and educational initiatives to promote understanding and mutual respect. The group has helped more than 630 individuals this year on a range of issues, from persuading the Hillsborough County School Board to close-caption broadcasts of its meetings for the benefit of the hearing-impaired to representing a student barred from participating in trampoline exercises because she wore a traditional hijab.
This year, CAIR’s Tampa and South Florida offices were united as a statewide organization and new office space was secured in Tampa. The group intends to open an Orlando office and have 15 full-time staff members by the end of the year.