(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/3/2019) — The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a coalition of several leading national and local Muslim organizations and institutions, reported today that more than 500 delegates from 28 states met on Monday and Tuesday with more than 250 elected officials and congressional staffers during the record-breaking fifth annual “National Muslim Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
USCMO said Muslim delegates participating in this year’s advocacy day event met with a third of the House of Representatives and almost half of the Senate.
[NOTE: Last year, some 400 delegates met with some 250 congressional offices.]
“This year’s National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill was remarkably outstanding and energetic with high participation of youth, said USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal.
Jammal added, “We thank the many members of Congress who opened their doors to their Muslim constituents and engaged them in a fruitful discussion.”
“American Muslims are turning out in greater numbers every year to participate in National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill to ensure that their voices and stories are being heard by their elected representatives in Congress,” said USCMO National Muslim Advocacy Day Steering Committee Chair Robert McCaw.
McCaw has served as Chairman of USCMO’s National Muslim Advocacy Day Steering Committee since the event’s founding.
Participants posted photos and commentary about National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill on social media using the hashtag #MuslimHillDay.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Muslim delegates urged their members of Congress to co-sponsor and support Rep. Judy Chu’s House Resolution 276, a Resolution Recognizing the History of American Muslims and Their Contributions to our Nation.
USCMO members applauded Congresswoman Chu for introducing the resolution a month before the month-long fast of Ramadan (rom-a-don) that begins on or about Wednesday, May 6.**
[**NOTE: Because the beginning of Islamic lunar months depends on the actual sighting of the new moon, the start and end dates for Ramadan may vary. Consult local Muslim communities for the beginning and end dates of Ramadan.]
Muslim delegates also supported a number of legislative measures that would:
- Repeal the Muslim Ban: A round-up endorsement of all legislation pushing back against the Trump Administration’s Muslim travel ban. That includes supporting legislation that would either defund the ban, repeal the ban, or amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to address the legal framework under which the ban was implemented.
- Support Immigration Reform: Supporting DREAMers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders by endorsing the Dream and Promise Act. Seeking to end family separation and detention at the Southern Border by supporting the Alternatives to Detention Act of 2019.
- Support Human Rights for Muslims Worldwide: Urging the United States to continue standing up for the human rights of Muslims internationally, by supporting legislation that addresses the arbitrary detention of Uighur Muslims in China and condemning violence against Rohingya Muslims in Burma.
- Support Reforming Bank De-Risking Practices: Supporting Bank Secrecy Act Reform: Establishes a Civil Liberties and Privacy Officer who must be consulted each time regulations are developed or reviewed
On Monday, USCMO hosted a civic engagement and congressional advocacy training seminar for Muslim delegates in the Capitol Visitor Center’s auditorium. Later that day, members of Congress and their staff joined Hill day participants for an evening reception at the House Visitor Center. On Tuesday, Muslim delegates were hosted at the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
