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Assalaamu 'alaykum & Ramadan Mubarak John!

I pray this message finds you and your family in the best of health and
Iman during these first blessed days of Ramadan. This month looks very
different from years past, but it is a gift we welcome with open arms
and yearning souls all the same.

Last Ramadan was a very special one for me, marking 30 years since I had
first accepted Islam. It was in the musallahs of mosques, gatherings at
homes, and events in community centers that I was welcomed into this
beautiful faith and found my life's purpose.

This Ramadan is especially hard in some ways. I look forward to Ramadan
every year for many reasons, one of which is the opportunity to visit
nearly 30 mosques in 30 days as a fundraiser for MLFA, along with my
team who does the same. Although it is tiring work and takes me away
from my family and the comforts of home, I have the privilege of praying
with communities all across America, who embrace me as if I were a
member of their own families. Indeed, in Ramadan, my family grows a
thousand-fold.

I get to witness firsthand the beautiful ummah that has flourished in
America, fasting in unison by day, breaking fast together at sunset, and
coming out in droves to attend the taraweeh prayers into the late hours
of the night. We practice our faith proudly, visibly, ardently, and
fully in this most blessed time of year.

The diversity and solidarity of our ummah leaves an impression on me
every time. I am overtaken with gratitude, awe, and humility. Every
Ramadan is a reminder of who I am today, why I do what I do, and what I
hope to achieve in the future.

It is for this ummah and for these communities in America that I fight
for. It is for the right to practice as we do, believe as we believe,
and be who we are in an America that promised to be that home for its
citizens.

For the most part, it is. But I have also seen firsthand what can happen
when this promise is broken.

I have seen innocent men taken away in handcuffs. I have seen offices
raided. I have been among communities that were surveilled. I have heard
from individuals who were interrogated. I've followed the stories,
pored over the court documents, consulted the attorneys, and consoled
the families.

The good news is that MLFA is here for all of us. It is an organization
that goes beyond defending those who are unjustly targeted and
persecuted. We do that with the best team on our side, and with a goal
to dismantle policies and programs that target Muslims and others simply
for who they are or who they know.

The unique situation we are all in this year with the COVID-19 pandemic
is allowing us to re-evaluate our priorities and re-assess what kind of
world we want to live in after the immediate crisis passes.

Although I am sad I will not be able to visit the mosques I had my heart
set on this Ramadan, I am eager to reap the blessings of this month. I
trust in His Plan, and rely on His Bounty.

Historically, MLFA raises 50% of its annual funds in Ramadan during
Friday prayers, taraweehs, and iftars. We hope that with your support,
we can still reach our goal, which is scaled back in order to sustain
our current cases until the crisis ends.

Although our ummah is not physically in the mosques, I know that we are
together in spirit, and can still make a difference together from the
safety of our homes and the unison of our efforts.

I trust you believe in MLFA's vision of an America with freedom,
liberty, and justice for all. That is the America I dream of, and a
promise I vow to uphold.

Please keep MLFA in your du'a and in your zakat this month, and pray
for all those whose difficulties, anxieties, and sorrows are worsened by
this crisis. May there be relief, healing, and ease in these difficult
times, and may we all emerge stronger from our tests, in shaa Allah.

In faith and for justice,

Khalil Meek
Executive Director
Muslim Legal Fund of America

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Muslim Legal Fund of America, 833 E Arapaho Rd, Suite 209, Richardson, Texas 75081, United States