(Miami, FL, 3/13/2025) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Florida chapter (CAIR-FL) today condemned an attempt by the mayor of Miami Beach to shut down a movie theatre that showed the Oscar-winning Palestinian documentary No Other Land.

O Cinema, an arthouse theatre, showed the documentary after having initially pulled it due to a letter denouncing the film sent by Mayor Steven Meier. Meier announced a proposal to terminate the cinema’s lease and discontinue around $40,000 in grant funding on Tuesday.

SEE: Florida Theater Faces Closure for Showing Palestinian Film ‘No Other Land’ – Newsweek

In a statement, CAIR-FL Communications Director Wilfredo Ruiz said:

“Mayor Steven Meiner fails to unite Miami Beach residents, visitors, or anyone who does not subscribe to his blind support for the genocidal Israeli government. His complete disregard for First Amendment rights and equal protection under the law is evident in this open act of censorship and discrimination. Apparently, Mayor Meier believes he is governing an Israeli city, where the censorship and oppression of Palestinian voices are the norm. Let us remind him that he swore to defend the U.S. Constitution. The freedoms he seeks to suppress are enshrined in the First Amendment and have cost many Americans their blood, sweat, and tears. His shameful actions cannot erase that.”

CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:

“Mayor Meier’s attempt to punish a movie theatre for showing a documentary critical of a foreign government is an un-American and unconstitutional attack on free speech and the humanity of Palestinians. The mayor’s attempt to censor the reality of the Israeli government’s ethnic cleansing in the West Bank is also deeply immoral and racist. We urge the Miami Beach city government to reject this un-American act of censorship.”

About CAIR-Florida:

CAIR-Florida is the state’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, foster dialogue, safeguard civil liberties for all, empower American Muslims, and form coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La misión de CAIR-Florida es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.

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CONTACT: CAIR-FL Communications Director Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, (305) 502-6749, [email protected]