Preview

Assalamu'alaykum John,

In the span of less than a month, the country as we knew it changed. The world grew smaller, as the threat of coronavirus grew larger. We are all called upon to battle a common enemy that knows no borders. The more united we are, the better we are able to protect the most vulnerable among us and overcome this challenging time sooner rather than later.

While we continue to fight the COVID-19 virus, we will also continue to fight for civil rights, because while the virus does not discriminate, people still do.

Although we are taking necessary precautions, including social distancing and working from home, we cannot afford to miss a step in the many ongoing legal battles we fund. Our beneficiaries are still holding on to hope, as the world around them closes, because civil rights remain open, and our fight continues.

In this issue of MLFA Monthly, we celebrate a victory for one of our beneficiaries, who received his citizenship just as COVID-19 surfaced; commemorate the anniversary of Noor Salman's historic win in an uphill battle against government prosecutors; share updates on a number of ongoing cases at the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America; provide a valuable resource for nonprofits in light of the crisis; and ask you to support political prisoners this Ramadan.

In faith and for justice,

Actions Nonprofits Can Take in Response to COVID-19

As news of the coronavirus is startling, and the United States’ response appears stunted, nonprofits are reeling trying to manage the impact of this unprecedented pandemic. As the virus continues to spread across the country, the coronavirus is more than a public health crisis but also an economic crisis as it threatens the sustainability of nonprofits’ staff and stakeholders, as well as the organizations themselves.

Beyond hygiene and social distancing protocols, what practical steps can nonprofit boards and leadership take to balance their mission of service while surviving this new threat? Read more below:

United States of America v. Noor Salman

On March 30, 2018, Noor Salman walked out of a federal courthouse in downtown Orlando a free woman after two nightmarish years in the cross-hairs of federal prosecutors. Charged with aiding and abetting her husband, Omar Mateen, in the horrific Pulse Nightclub massacre two summers before, Noor found herself in a seemingly insurmountable struggle for her innocence as she spent 15 months behind bars away from her young son.

With a near perfect record in terror prosecutions, the government was not expecting to lose.

That was before lawyers at the MLFA-funded
Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America stepped in.

When Noor and her loved ones approached Muslim Legal Fund of America and Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America for help, there were a lot of articles in the media in which the FBI were claiming “she knew” about her husband’s plans to shoot people in Orlando. However, it didn’t take long for attorneys at CLCMA to see that something was not right with the FBI’s claims. Thanks to the talented team of attorneys, paralegals, investigators, and subject matter experts, the truth came out.

After a three-week trial and 12 hours of deliberation, the jury returned a
“Not Guilty” verdict, acquitting Noor of all charges against her.

In addition to winning Noor’s freedom, the astute legal defense team at CLCMA exposed misconduct of the FBI, prosecution, and Department of Justice. These violations of Noor’s rights include:

Withholding exculpatory evidence favorable to Noor from her CLCMA defense team, such as the cell tower data that proved Noor did not scout the Pulse nightclub as her alleged confession claimed.

Hiding the fact that the shooter’s father was an FBI informant who likely helped stop the FBI’s earlier investigation into Omar Mateen.

Relying on Islamophobic stereotypes in hopes of swaying the jury to decide her fate based on prejudice instead of the evidence.

To say that this win was historic is an understatement.

What occurred in the courtroom in Orlando in the month of March 2018, truly showed that justice could prevail with enough support and enough resources to make sure the truth came out.

This legal victory is not the end.

Muslims are still being unfairly targeted and unjustly treated in American courtrooms. Injustice happens in many forms, including immigration denials, security status revocations, mosque building permit denials and employment terminations -- all because of their Muslim identity.

Our wish is that every defendant, Muslim or not, could have the same level of representation that Noor Salman received in her Federal criminal case. Thanks to the support of those at CLCMA, and from generous contributions of both time and money from the Muslim community, Noor was able to prevail and is free today and with her son. We could not have done it without you.

Every year, The Coalition for Civil Freedoms (CCF) has an annual Ramadan Gift Program in which they send 240 inmates gifts of $100 to their commissary accounts. These are political prisoners who were targeted in the domestic “war on terror,” criminally prosecuted, and incarcerated due to their political views, beliefs, cultural identity, or activism/charity. While the vast majority of these prisoners are Muslim, there are a handful of non-Muslims who meet CCF's criteria and thus receive a gift either during Ramadan or their preferred holiday.

For U.S. prisoners who are at enormous risk for contracting COVID-19 and for whom medical treatment is often denied, the weeks ahead are an intense time of fear of the untold disaster that might unfold once the coronavirus spreads throughout the entire prison system.

While many of you are under “lockdown” today due to the coronavirus, CCF asks that you kindly remember the victims of mass incarceration in the U.S. for whom this term has been a cruel part of their everyday lives.

USCIS Grants U.S. Citizenship After CLCMA Intervenes to Remove Administrative Roadblocks

Earlier this month, CLCMA client, Ahmad S., (seen here with CLCMA attorney Kathryn Brady), became a naturalized citizen after he recently took the oath of allegiance in a stunning group ceremony before a federal judge. This great accomplishment was possible because of Ahmad’s own attentiveness to his application and CLCMA stepping in to challenge USCIS’s unjustified delays and roadblocks. As is often the case for members of the Muslim community, his application was stuck in the USCIS system’s Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (“CARRP”) because of “guilt by association.”

Ahmad, who has no criminal record, was being subjected to additional travel screening and an unexpected personal visit from immigration officials who made it clear that they had the power to impact his immigration applications. Wisely, he recognized the need for attorney intervention to counteract the government’s tactics.

CLCMA Takes On the Watch List in Employment Cases

CLCMA is taking on the Watch List in the employment context as well as travel, in relation to government-issued credentials that may be denied or revoked based on determinations that the persons are a security threat, resulting in either the loss of jobs or the inability to accept contingent job offers. Lassana Magassa and Mohamed Al-Seraji are two such clients. Click the link below for the latest updates on their ongoing cases.

CLCMA Files Notice of Appeal Challenging Denial of Lawful Permanent Residence

Mohammad K. came to the U.S. just over 20 years ago from Afghanistan. He fled from his home country because the Taliban was targeting him for his membership in the Northern Alliance. He first sought refuge in Germany, but those same political rivals threatened him there too, and he was still not safe. Fortunately, he was able to make his way to the U.S. and seek protection here by filing an asylum case.

It was when he tried to go through the appropriate procedures to become a lawful permanent resident that he experienced difficulties and delays not encountered when granted asylum. Twenty years later, and he's still fighting for his right to call America home.