Muslim civil rights group sues Maryland over ban related to Israel boycott
Twenty-six states currently have some form of a ban on supporting the the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit in January challenging Maryland governor Larry Hogan’s executive order banning state agencies from contracting with businesses that boycott Israel.
The “No Boycott of Israel” order aims to combat the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement opposing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, which Hogan has charged with “economic discrimination” against Israel. Twenty-six states currently have some form of a ban on supporting the BDS movement, including laws requiring contractors to take a personal oath not to participate in boycotts.
CAIR is also filing a First Amendment challenge to a similar law in Texas, where a Muslim woman of Palestinian descent recently lost her job of nine years after refusing to sign an anti-BDS pledge in order to work as a children’s speech pathologist in public schools.
