A self-described “Northern Kentucky girl” has moved into the national spotlight.
Roula Allouch, an attorney from Erlanger, last month was named to head the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Washington-based CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization.
Allouch, 34, who grew up in Berea and Lexington, went to the University of Kentucky for both undergrad and law school. She moved to Greater Cincinnati eight years ago.
Allouch, who works in Cincinnati, often goes to the Islamic Association of Cincinnati in Clifton and the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, the largest mosque in the area, in West Chester Township, for worship.
The Enquirer sat down with Allouch:
Q: When did you join the Council on American-Islamic Relations?
“I’ve been involved with CAIR since law school, initially with CAIR Kentucky. Then I became active with the CAIR Cincinnati board around 2008 and stayed involved with the organization since then.”
Q: What’s the biggest challenge Muslims face in Greater Cincinnati? Has life for Muslims gotten better or worse in recent times?
“I think the biggest challenge is really that members of the Muslim community want the same things that people in the greater community want: secure jobs, safety for their families, education for children and on top of that, members of the Muslim community sometimes face scrutiny from others who may have misconceptions about what our faith means and what it means to be someone practicing our faith. I think very similar experiences as the greater community in terms of day to day concerns but there’s just that added pressure unfortunately sometimes impacts us.”
Q: What’s the biggest misunderstanding or misconception that people not familiar with the Islamic faith have about Muslims?
“I think to me the biggest thing is looking at people in the Muslim community as another instead of understanding that we practice a faith that is a monotheistic faith. We have the same core set of values and principles. We just, I think, too often are looked at as the other instead of people understanding that we practice a different faith but there’s so many similarities.”
Q: Have you encountered any discrimination here in Northern Kentucky or Cincinnati?
“I’ve had some negative experiences in terms of negative comments being made, somewhat threatening. I actually, not that long ago, was in the Hamilton County courthouse, I’m a practicing attorney, this was sometime last year, and got on the elevator with someone who as soon as the elevator door shut he just started berating me and kind of yelling at me for my faith. I was never truly scared in that instance but it reminded me that there are many who encounter situations where they do become fearful. Generally, in my experience, those few instances have been outweighed by just times where I felt very supported by friends in the community.”
Q: What’s the best way to fight Islamic extremism?
“That’s one of things that I’ve heard criticisms of the Muslim community in general, that we’re not outspoken when things like that occur. CAIR is always at the forefront in terms of issuing press releases condemning any type of inappropriate actions that are harmful to people regardless of the reason why that occurred and even more so when somebody tries to do so in the name of our faith. It hits more personal for us when somebody tries to attack or do something violent in the name of our religion. That’s the faith that I practice and that hits even close to home for me. It’s something that CAIR is repeatedly on the forefront in terms of condemning those types of actions and I always tell people ‘I can’t control that you may or may not see those releases and see that we’re doing it each and every time.’ ”
Q: There has been some controversy with CAIR in the past, has any of that been valid? How as an organization does CAIR handle that? (Some critics have questioned whether or not CAIR has ties to Islamic militant groups.)
“I think we understand that we’re speaking out for the rights of people in our community and Americans in general and sometimes when you’re outspoken on issues it can lend itself to people criticizing you and wanting to try to scare you into being quiet on those things. So we understand that and just stay firm in the principles and the mission statement that we have, knowing that we are practicing our constitutional rights to protect the civil liberties of the people in our community. It’s been my experience that people that may initially have concerns about people in the Muslim community, once they get to know, it’s almost like that personal connection or once you know somebody or once you’re more aware of what the individual is than that sense of fear gets taken away. With knowing each other comes less of those issues.”