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Assalamu'alaykum John,

"With every difficulty, there is ease."

This is a promise from God.

Muslim Legal Fund of America emerged in response to difficulties our community was facing in the aftermath of another crisis in our time: the horrific events of 9/11.

Although many communities were not immune from discrimination, the tragedy of 9/11 changed everything. The crisis eroded constitutional rights and liberties, and America’s promise of “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” was broken.

Activists in Richardson, TX on the front-lines of one of the first federal terror prosecutions after 9/11 were not giving up. They rallied to fund efforts aimed at restoring the fundamental American principles of fairness and equality by establishing Muslim Legal Fund of America within weeks of 9/11. They trusted in God’s promise, and believed in the promise of America.

"Indeed, with every difficulty, there is ease."

Fast forward 19 years, and MLFA entered 2020 with a vision to expand legal services to meet increased demand, and strengthen programs to Build Legal Power for American Muslims. Then, unexpectedly, visions of 2020 were quickly eclipsed by a global health crisis that impacted us all. We plan, and God plans, and God is the best of planners.

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, we are refocusing our vision to sustain, rather than expand, our legal services. Right now, it is urgent for us to uphold the promises that we’ve made up to this point - to you, our donors, our beneficiaries, and our communities, but we will also keep our sights set on continuing to Build Legal Power sooner rather than later.

We must ensure that the foundation we’ve built over the past 19 years endures this crisis, and that we continue to bring optimism, hope, and ease to our current beneficiaries facing injustice.

While the coronavirus does not discriminate, people still do.

As we each navigate the current crisis to the best of our abilities, we at MLFA will continue to hold firm to the promise of God, of America, and of our mission.

We trust in God’s plan, and ask for your support this Ramadan.

In faith and for justice,