(WASHINGTON, DC – 6/15/2022) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the largest umbrella group for Muslim groups in the United States, announced today that more than 300 delegates from 20 states met on Monday and Tuesday with more than 200 elected officials and congressional staffers during the seventh annual “National Muslim Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. #MuslimHillDay
[NOTE: Many more delegates also participated in the event online.]
Organized by the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the nation’s largest American Muslim civil society umbrella organization, the Muslim advocacy day resumed for the first time in person after being conducted virtually last year and canceled the year before due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year’s National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill demonstrated the strong commitment and resilience of the American Muslim community to continue to foster relationships and engage with their elected officials,” said USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal. “We thank the many members of Congress who opened their doors to their Muslim constituents and engaged in a fruitful discussion.”
“National Muslim Advocacy Day was made possible because of the hard work of the countless American Muslim organizers, congressional offices, and Hill staff that worked together to overcome the logistical hurdles and restrictions on movements in place at the U.S. Capitol while keeping everyone safe,” said National Muslim Advocacy Day Steering Committee Chair and CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert McCaw.
McCaw has served as Chairman of USCMO’s National Muslim Advocacy Day Steering Committee since the event’s founding.
WATCH: Rep. Rashida Tlaib gives remarks at the closing ceremony of #MuslimHillDay
WATCH: Rep. Judy Chu gives remarks at the closing ceremony of #MuslimHillDay
This year, Muslim delegates supported legislative measures that would:
- HOLD CVE ACCOUNTABLE: Support FY 2023 Appropriations request language seeking stronger transparency requirements for the DHS’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) – the newest iteration of DHS’s Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) grant initiative, which discriminatorily targeted Muslims in a misguided attempt to identify individuals who might commit acts of terrorism.
- CITIZENSHIP FOR AFGHAN EVACUEES: Co-sponsor the Afghan Adjustment Act, supported by Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Sen. Chris Coons, which would allow the tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees to apply to become lawful permanent residents one year after arrival.
- CANCEL STUDENT DEBT, ZERO INTEREST LOANS: Support canceling all student debt and endorse the American Muslim community’s call for Congress and the White House establish interest-free federal student loans.
- URGE SENATE SUPPORT FOR THE COMBATING INTERNATIONAL ISLAMOPHOBIA ACT (S. 3384): Co-sponsor and urge for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee mark-up and adoption of Senators Cory Booker, Ben Cardin, and Bernie Sanders’ International Combating Islamophobia Act, which would establish a special envoy office at the U.S. State Department to monitor and combat international Islamophobia.
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