Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR-Ga. since 2016, has been named national deputy director of the organization in Washington, D.C.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is one of the nation’s leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organizations.
Under his leadership, the Georgia chapter has expended its staff and work, including resolving dozens of anti-Muslim discrimination cases.
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CAIR-Georgia received the national organization’s 2016 Chapter of the Year Award.
"I thank God for the opportunity to help serve the entire American Muslim community at this pivotal moment in our nation's history,” Mitchell said in a statement. He officially begins his new job in February 2020.
Previously, Mitchell served as a criminal prosecutor for the city of Atlanta and is the former editor of the Atlanta Muslim. He’s a graduate of Morehouse College and Georgetown University Law Center.
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The chapter hopes to name a successor early next year.
According to a recently-released FBI report, hate crimes hit a 16-year high in 2018, much of it aimed at Latinos.
Overall, there were 4,571 reported hate crimes against people in 2018, many based on the victim’s ethnicity or religion.
It’s important to note, however, that many people never report incidents of hate crimes to law enforcement, experts say.
The data shows the number of reported hate crimes are down for Muslims and Arab-Americans.
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