Dear Muslim Advocates Friends and Family — As-Salaam-Alaikum,

The mission of Muslim Advocates is to always defend Muslim communities against abusive state power. Our approach is multifaceted: we leverage bold and uncompromising litigation, out-of-court advocacy and strategic communications that helps shift the prevailing narratives about our communities. We also provide grounded legislative analysis to policymakers nationwide, helping ensure accountability in the halls of power to our communities. Our work is urgent and necessary. Too often, the diverse spectrum of Muslim communities are targeted just because of who they are. The costs are high—including unjust imprisonment, inhumane immigration practices, lack of religious accommodations and much more.

Just this year, our legal team was regularly in court and working in solidarity with partner organizations to protect the rights of all those facing discrimination, Muslim and otherwise: 

Sabir v. Williams: Muslim Advocates supported our clients, Mr. Sabir and Mr. Conyers, in suing the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut (FCI Danbury) after being denied the opportunity to participate in jumu’ah and communal salah prayer due the lack of available facilities at prayer times. Because of our clients’ bravery, FCI Danbury changed its policy to allow group prayer in more places within the prison. In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in our clients’ favor, holding that incarcerated people have a clearly established “right to participate in congregate religious services.” 

Emami v. Blinken: In August, Muslim Advocates won summary judgment on behalf of members of families (still) separated by the Muslim and African Ban. The court agreed with our clients—who had challenged the State Department’s guidance materials that had ensured that the waivers for the ban were the exception and not the rule—and ruled that the Muslim and African Ban’s waiver process was illegally arbitrary and capricious. Despite this win, the government has been slow-walking relief for the approximately 25,000 families still separated. With our partners at Lofti Legal, Perkins Coie, National Immigration Law Center, Advancing Justice–Asian Law Caucus and CAIR California, we continue to pressure the court to enforce its order in the face of Department of Justice intransigence to processing visa applications from applicants denied under the Bans’ lawless waiver process.

Dobbs v. Jackson: In June of 2022 Muslim Advocates joined an amicus brief and drafted an open letter to American Muslims, which warned that overturning Roe v. Wade represents not only the enshrinement of Christian nationalist beliefs into federal law but could also lead to the erosion of other bedrock civil rights.

303 Creative v. Elenis: In August of 2022 Muslim Advocates wrote a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a challenge to Colorado laws that prohibit discrimination. In the lawsuit at hand, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, website designer Lorie Smith claims that Colorado laws violate her speech rights by preventing her from refusing service to same-sex couples and posting a “straights only” disclaimer on her website. Muslim Advocates expressed concern for the impact of such a ruling on LGBTQ+ communities, including LGBTQ+ Muslims, other frequently targeted communities and all those living at their intersections who will be exposed to constitutionally sanctioned discrimination on the basis of identity if this reactionary Supreme Court elects to use of free speech doctrine as cover for dismantling foundational anti-discrimination laws. 

Muslim Advocates remains committed to resisting efforts to turn back the clock on inclusivity, liberty and civil rights norms that help keep Muslim communities safe and empowered. The promises of democracy cannot be real for anyone unless they are tangible and accessible to everyone.

Muslim Advocates remains committed to resisting efforts to turn back the clock on inclusivity, liberty and civil rights norms that help keep Muslim communities safe and empowered. The promises of democracy cannot be real for anyone unless they are tangible and accessible to everyone.

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To make these promises real we need the support of those committed to our work and mission. As we approach the end-of-year giving season, all of us at Muslim Advocates hope you will consider making a donation to support our work. Your gift will help us keep us in a position to do cutting-edge legal work when it matters most: it will help us to continue amplifying the impact of our work by allowing us to create innovative tools that other lawyers, activists and organizers can bring to bear in future challenges. It will also support the Muslim Advocates’ effort to expand its programmatic reach at a time when we are being called to take on an broader, more complex suite of social-justice work, Your gift will go a long way towards helping us continue to provide the legal support, representation and expertise that the field needs.

Also, if you have not already RSVP’d, we invite you to join us on December 12th for Common Voices, Collective Action, a virtual town hall gathering where you can hear more about our new vision, meet our new Executive Director Omar Farah and ask questions about our work and plans for the future. You can RSVP for this event here [[link removed]] .

We deeply appreciate your continued belief in our mission and thank you for all you do.

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Washington, DC 20043 United States
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