Hi Friend,

Muslim Advocates has been leading the effort to combat hate, fight for equality and promote the civil rights of American Muslims and a lot of that work lately has happened in Washington, D.C. That’s why I wanted to take this opportunity to keep you updated on all the important behind-the-scenes work we’ve been doing on Capitol Hill.
Last week, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing on “Discrimination and the Civil Rights of the Muslim, Arab and South Asian American Communities.”

Our Interim Co-Executive Directors Farah Brelvi and Asifa Quraishi-Landes submitted written testimony to the hearing [[link removed]] , in which they noted: “When members of Congress use their platforms to encourage hate and fear of an entire religion, their supporters listen and send hate and threats that include targeting Muslim members of Congress, their staff and anyone who appears Muslim.”
Muslim Advocates has been a leader on critical issues like anti-Muslim hate crimes and religious freedom and that was reflected at the hearing—including when Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) cited Muslim Advocates’s essential work on prisoners' rights [[link removed]] .

Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) also discussed the NO BAN Act, an important bill we have worked to support that would prevent future presidents from enacting discriminatory bans based on faith or nationality. The House passed the bill last year and currently has 41 cosponsors in the Senate. Muslim Advocates has an action center [[link removed]] to support the NO BAN Act and we will continue to fight for the bill until it becomes law.

Surprisingly, that wasn’t the only congressional hearing we contributed to recently! Just a couple of weeks ago, we also submitted written testimony [[link removed]] to a hearing held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. And yesterday, we submitted testimony [[link removed]] to another hearing on hate crimes, this time from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In addition to those hearings, Muslim Advocates is working hard to make sure our judiciary is more diverse and juster. That is why we are engaging with the White House and Congress to support the nomination of Nusrat Choudhury [[link removed]] to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. If confirmed by the Senate, Choudhury would be the first American Muslim woman to serve on the federal bench, and only the second Muslim to become a federal judge. Choudhury’s dedication to civil rights has always inspired us, and that’s why we pushed for her nomination. Our efforts on behalf of Choudhury helped lead Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to recommend Choudhury for the post and we are now working with the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure that Choudhury is treated with dignity and respect during the confirmation process—and we will continue to fight to ensure she’s confirmed.

Similarly, Muslim Advocates has joined a coalition of civil rights organizations to support the historic nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. We couldn't be more thrilled about Judge Jackson as the first Black woman and first public defender to be nominated to the Supreme Court—but she is already facing racist attacks. Muslim Advocates is supporting a campaign to challenge racist media portrayals and promote respectful and serious coverage of Jackson’s nomination and confirmation hearing. You can read more about our support for Jackson in our press statement. [[link removed]]

Lastly, I want to highlight the ongoing work Muslim Advocates is committed to on police accountability. Our friend, Rep. Ilhan Omar, is helping to lead the charge to hold Minneapolis police officers accountable for the tragic death of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by police officers during a botched execution of a no-knock warrant. Muslim Advocates is proud to support Rep. Omar’s new bill [[link removed]] to establish needed restrictions on these warrants.

I want to close by thanking you. Our work on Capitol Hill and beyond continues and everything we do would not be possible without your continued support.

In solidarity,

Sumayyah Waheed
Senior Policy Counsel, Muslim Advocates

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