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JUNE 2020

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Assalamu'alaykum John,

We close out this month with some progress amidst the setbacks. The
health pandemic has waned in some areas, while rising in others. Statues
memorializing racial injustice fell to the ground, as protests against
continued injustice filled the streets. DACA and gay rights were upheld,
as urgent calls to address humanitarian crises were raised. And we are
only halfway through 2020.

The rest of the year is ahead of us - heavy in its challenges, but also
ripe in its opportunities.

For many, quarantine has given us a chance to consider what is truly
essential in our lives, and see beyond ourselves. For others, systemic
racism was exacerbated and iniquities exposed, whether it was in the
difficulties accessing health services, remote educational resources, or
the very air George Floyd begged to breathe.

We learned - and continue to learn - how the systems of injustice
against Blacks, Muslims, and other minorities stem from the same tainted
roots of racism, and having gone largely unchecked, branched out and
intertwined into the twisted system we see today that presumes that
people of color need to be surveilled, searched, criminalized,
controlled - or worse.

As we learn, we grow and develop the skills, tools, and unity we need to
root out injustice.

In this issue of MLFA Monthly, we share progress

in restoring a prisoner's rights, a challenge

to the continued unjust separation of a client formerly on the No-Fly
List and his family, and reflections on
justice from a departing staff member while also welcoming a new
addition to the team.

The work of justice is ongoing. God-willing, this year will be a chapter
in our history where real progress will be made.

In faith and for justice,

 

 

Video Spotlight

 

Have you checked out Changing the Game , a
video series featuring attorneys at the Constitutional Law Center for
Muslims in America (CLCMA) discussing topics of interest to the American
Muslim community during COVID-19 and beyond?

This month's video spotlight concerns a topic relevant to current
events: Freedom of Speech: Protected Speech, or Illegal Hate Speech?,
presented by Christina Jump, Civil Litigation Department Head at CLCMA.
Read more about Christy here
and check out the video
below!

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Case Updates

 

 

CLCMA Helps Client Get Religious Meal Plan In Prison Facility

**** This month, CLCMA was able to secure access to a religious meal
plan for a client at the Indiana Department of Corrections Putnamville
Correctional Facility.

The inmate contacted CLCMA in January after having applied and been
rejected for the Kosher meal plan because, per the rejection letter, he
did not properly establish why his religious beliefs required Kosher
food.

He sought Kosher food as a compromise because the prison system does not
currently offer Halal food. He thoughtfully explained that he was
requesting the meals as a compromise, cited several verses of the Quran
regarding the importance of eating and avoiding certain foods, and
specifically pointed to Surah Maidah, verse 5 which is largely
understood to permit Muslims to eat meat from "people of the book,"
including Jews.

This client is a devout follower of Islam and strives to follow the
religion as closely as possible, even at great cost to himself. In the
absence of food consistent with his beliefs, he subsisted on non-meat
foods and things he was able to purchase from commissary, which led to
severe weight loss for him. His hardships were further compounded during
Ramadan when he was regularly served foods he could not eat, and served
food at times he could not eat (i.e., after the Fajr prayer).

CONTINUE READING 

 

 

CLCMA sues DHS to Challenge Lengthy Delay of Immigrant Visa for Wife of
a U.S. Citizen

**** For years, CLCMA's U.S. citizen client has been subjected to
discriminatory actions by the U.S. government that prevented him from
freely traveling abroad to see his family. CLCMA previously represented
him in successfully being removed from the No Fly list

Now, USCIS is withholding the chance for his wife to relocate to the
U.S.  Last week, CLCMA filed a complaint seeking mandamus relief and
alleging violations of the APA in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia. This lawsuit challenges the government's
arbitrary and lengthy delay of the client's immigrant visa petition,
which he filed on behalf of his wife of six years. She is currently
living abroad waiting to be able to immigrate to the United States, with
the couple's two young U.S. citizen children.

READ MORE

 

 

 

Departures & Arrivals

 

This month, we bid farewell to Shari Crittendon, Senior Corporate
Counsel and Director of Outreach and Compliance at CLCMA. She served as
head of the Nonprofit Practice Group after successfully piloting the
program in 2016. Prior to joining CLCMA, Shari served as Vice President,
General Counsel and Secretary to the Corporation for the United Negro
College Fund, Inc. (UNCF), the nation's largest higher education
minority education assistance organization. The hallmark of her tenure
was providing legal advice and counsel to the Bill and Melinda Gates
Millennium Scholars $1.6 billion dollar grant. Shari also served as
UNCF's top lobbyist on Capitol Hill and with the Bush and Obama
administrations, helping to secure $2.6 Billion for minority serving
institutions.

Shari's experience managing governance, risk and compliance as well as
other legal issues for charitable, community and faith-based nonprofits
across the nation has proven invaluable to the American Muslim
community. Hundreds of Imams, board members, and community leaders
benefited from her vast experience and practical advice, and she was
instrumental in laying the foundation for the continued success of our
most valuable institutions.

Shari will serve as General Counsel at Kansas State University in the
fall. We wish her the best of success as she continues the work of
justice in her new capacity. We have been honored to have her on our
team.

Her parting words to us, that we pass on to you, are: "Stay in the
fight. You make a difference."

READ SHARI'S REFLECTIONS ON JUSTICE

 

We also welcome Rafa Sattar as a summer intern at MLFA. Ms. Sattar
recently graduated as the Salutatorian of her class from the Macaulay
Honors College at Hunter College, CUNY with a Bachelor's degree in
Political Science. She has previously interned at Weitz and Luxenberg
PC, as well as the New York City Civil Court. She hopes to pursue a
career in human rights law and immigration law.

"Interning for the Muslim Legal Fund of America provides me with
invaluable exposure in interacting with vulnerable members of the
Muslim-American community and best representing their respective
interests. I am humbled by the legal triumphs and dedication of the MLFA
team, and am excited to play a role in redefining Muslim-American
narratives through MLFA's nuanced, empathetic vision."

Welcome to the team, Rafa!

 

 

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

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