Muslim organization sues Parkland mayor, others, for discrimination

The South Florida Muslim Federation, a group that represents 32 Muslim organizations across South Florida, has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against Coral Springs Marriott hotel and the City of Parkland, among others.

The lawsuit stems from the hotel’s cancellation of the Federation’s second annual conference back in January. The filing alleges that, despite having a contract in place in May 2023 to host the event, the hotel canceled it just one week prior due to “significant undesirable interest.”

“Suddenly, this place that we’ve had countless events at for decades, from our community, they all of a sudden act like they don’t know who we are,” said Federation President Samir Kakli.

The hotel was the venue for the Federation’s first annual conference in 2022.

Jay Shehadeh, legal counsel for SFMF, said that the hotel violated contract law and civil rights law by not allowing the conference to take place.

“The Marriott’s cancellation of the South Florida Muslim Federation’s annual conference was fueled by Islamophobia and hate filled community leaders that believe all Muslims are terrorists,” he said.

The suit also alleviates a public pressure campaign by Parkland Mayor Rich Walker as well as the Parkland Chamber of Commerce and Joe Kaufman, the Republican candidate for Florida’s 23rd congressional district.

Both Walker and Kaufman met with the hotel’s general manager on separate occasions to lobby for the event’s cancellation. Their contention was that SFMF was sympathetic to the terrorist group HAMAS and that the conference would include speakers advocating pro-HAMAS positions.

Kaufman wrote an article for the Middle East Forum, a think tank that has been criticized for anti-Islamic rhetoric in the past, that drew attention to the event in late December 2023. He then began a petition to cancel the event, which sparked a series of emails to Walker’s office.

“As a local elected official, safety is my number one concern, and having received from my residents some concerns about the event itself, it was my obligation to go to the venue to express those concerns,” said Walker, “What that venue does with those concerns is up to them.”

Walker also added: “Given the same set of circumstances, I would do the same thing again.”

According to Kakli, Walker did not reach out to discuss whether or not the claims made by Parkland residents or Kaufman’s article were true.

Kaufman stands by his Middle East Forum article and said it was unrelated to the group’s religious identity.

“It’s a 100 percent frivolous lawsuit. The groups are claiming that the shutdown of this conference was based on prejudice against the Muslim community,” said Kaufman, “And that’s a total lie.”

Kaufman celebrated the event’s cancellation on X, formerly Twitter, on Jan 5, writing:

“I am happy to announce that my group, Kaufman Security, along with the Middle East Forum got this event feat #antiSemitic pro #Hamas speakers shut down. I want to thank everyone who helped out in this — made phone calls, sent emails, signed petitions.”

Kakli says that Kaufman’s efforts are nothing new.

“He has protested stuff that we do, wrote hit pieces against events that our community holds or individuals in our community,” he said. “I would say for at least 15 years, if not 20 years. This is nothing new.”

As for the conference, it was rescheduled and held at a later date. But Kakli said the group has had to be much more careful about posting details online.

“We have a location for this year, but we can’t tell people that,” he said, “How sad is that?”

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Ft. Lauderdale.