Center For Intercultural Organizing

Specialties

Civic engagement training, policy advocacy, immigration legal services, and community organizing.

History

Established in 2003.

Founded by Portland-​area immigrants and refugees, the Center for Intercultural Organizing was originally established to combat widespread anti-​Muslim sentiment after ⁹⁄₁₁. On September 8, 2002, authorities arrested a well-​known Portland Imam at the airport – Sheik Mohamed Abdirahman Kariye, spiritual leader of the As-​Saber Mosque (Masjed As-​Saber) – falsely claiming his brother’s luggage contained traces of TNT. The Center’s founders organized a multicultural march and protest outside the federal building in downtown Portland, attended by local Muslims and other activists.

Since then, we have continued organizing against the targeting of Muslims, while broadening our focus toward building power in immigrant and refugee communities through education, civic engagement, organizing and mobilization, and intergenerational leadership development.