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Issue 1: January 31, 2023

A monthly spotlight on major developments in MPAC’s D.C. Office

THIS MONTH IN DC – Orgs, Reps Call for Police Reform After Death of Tyre Nichols ([link removed]) , Democracy and Dissent in India ([link removed]) , Protests Continue Following Burning of Quran in Sweden ([link removed]) , 6th Anniversary of Trump Administration Muslim Ban ([link removed]) , Conversations On Academic Freedom ([link removed]) , Islamic Declaration Against Religious Police ([link removed]) , Taliban and Women’s Education ([link removed]) , Calls
for Closure of Guantanamo Bay ([link removed])

Once Again, Calls for Police Reform After Killing of Tyre Nichols: Friday, the Memphis Police Department released the body cam footage of the beating of Tyre Nichols to the public. In that video, we witness yet another senseless death resulting from police brutality and unaddressed systemic issues within the culture of law enforcement in our country. #BlackLivesMatter and we urge Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ([link removed]) ; without policy change, tragedies like this will continue to be the norm in communities across the country.

The Modi Question: Democracy and Dissent in India: The documentary, “India: The Modi Question,” revealed the previously undisclosed findings of a BBC investigation into the 2002 Anti-Muslim Gujarat Riots. The Indian government banned the documentary from all media platforms and dispatched riot police to prevent students from screening the outlawed documentary. The film seeks to shed light on the role that Modi played in the 2002 riots, showcasing the extremist roots of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Read our full statement here ([link removed]) .

Protests Continue Following Burning of Quran in Sweden: Recently, a far-right Swedish politician held a Quran-burning outside the Turkish Embassy. A key policy priority for the politician in question: the banning of Muslim immigration to the country and the deportation of Muslims already living in Sweden. The burning of the Quran is a direct message to the Muslims of Sweden and should be seen as an act of hate meant to intimidate an entire minority group.

Read our full statement here ([link removed]) .

6th Anniversary of Trump Administration Muslim Ban: “As American Muslims, having suffered the consequences of the bigoted Muslim Ban, we must work tirelessly to ensure no other religious or ethnic minority has to go through what we experienced.” - Mohammad H. Ali

On January 26th, as MPAC's Director of Policy and Government Relations, I joined members of the House of Representatives and leading civil rights organizations to implore lawmakers to pass the No Ban Act, which would prevent the President from issuing such an order in the future. Additionally, our coalition urged President Biden to provide immediate relief to thousands still harmed by the Muslim Ban.

Watch the press conference here ([link removed]) .
Read the press release here ([link removed]) .


Conversations on Academic Freedom: Earlier this month, MPAC expressed concern over the effective firing of Hamline University art professor, Dr. Erika López Prater, for showing a fourteenth-century painting of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to her class. Around the same time, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center denied a fellowship to former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth. This denial was due to Mr. Roth’s critical stance towards the government of Israel. Whereas we must condemn and fight against Islamophobia and antisemitism at every turn, we must not weaponize them to silence political rivals or violate core democratic principles.

Read the full statement on Dr. Erika López Prater here ([link removed]) .
Read the full statement on Kenneth Roth here ([link removed]) .
Watch Khanversations with Prof. Mudeqtar Khan ft. Dr. Prater and Salam Al-Marayati here ([link removed]) .

Islamic Declaration Against Religious Police: The distressing events transpiring in the Islamic Republic of Iran impress upon us the need to issue a clear and declarative statement against the institution of religious or morality police. Religious policing results in hatred and animosity of the people towards the government and to the religion, and it breeds hypocrisy and false belief and we call for the complete and total abolition of religious or morality police.

Read the full statement here ([link removed]) .
Watch our Fireside Chat ft. Mustafa Akyol and Dr. Javad T. Hashmi here ([link removed]) .

The Taliban and Women’s Education: The Taliban recently denied girls and women the right to education in Afghanistan in the name of Islam. However, Islam and access to education go hand in hand; the crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan is diametrically opposed to what the Quran and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught us. MPAC stands with the women of Afghanistan in the fight for education and denounces this move from the Taliban.

Read the full statement here ([link removed]) .

Calls for Closure of Guantánamo Bay: January 11th marked the 21st anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo Bay and our call to close the prison has not changed. With concern about the extreme human rights violations at the detention center, MPAC joined with other human rights organizations to highlight the abuses at Guantanamo. MPAC has advocated and continues to advocate for our government to close the detention center.

Read our previous statement here ([link removed]) .

WHAT'S NEW: WELCOMING OUR POLICY INTERNS

Omer Mujawar is a first-year student at Harvard University interested in concentrating in government and computer science. He is excited to be a policy intern at MPAC, where he hopes to advocate for issues important to the Muslim community and work toward creating change.

Isra Qadri is a Kashmiri-American community organizer and Public Policy student at the University of Maryland. She has experience working in government and legislative advocacy, and is excited to use her time at MPAC as a means to connect with other Muslims in the policy space.

Qudsia Saeed is an undergraduate student at the American University School of Education. She is a young Pakistani-American community leader committed to mobilizing Muslim communities through grassroots organizing, and she is looking forward to serving as a Policy and Advocacy Intern with MPAC this semester.

Jenna Woodring is a student at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She hopes to gain more knowledge and experience with the policy process throughout her time at MPAC.

In Solidarity,

Mohammad H. Ali
Director of Policy and Government Relations
MPAC

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