(WASHINGTON, DC – 5/30/2024) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) and more than 50 national, state, and regional American Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and allied organizations have issued a joint statement condemning the law firm Greenberg Traurig for filing what they describe as a “hateful, frivolous” lawsuit against American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and the Palestinian-American student organization, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Earlier this month, Greenberg Traurig announced a lawsuit on behalf of several Israeli-Americans against AMP and SJP, accusing them of being “collaborators and propagandists” for Hamas. In their response, leading Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian organizations in America have condemned the law firm for promoting anti-Muslim conspiracy theories with the apparent aim of silencing critics of the Israeli government.
The statement reads, in part:
“The undersigned organizations strongly condemn the hateful, frivolous, and unhinged lawfare attack initiated by Greenberg Traurig against a prominent American Muslim advocacy group and a Palestinian-American student organization.
“Greenberg Traurig’s Islamophobic stunt disguised as a lawsuit appears to be a collection of anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and guilt-by-association paranoia. It represents the latest escalation in an unprecedented and increasingly desperate campaign to silence Americans who oppose the Israeli government’s ongoing actions in Gaza.”
“What’s happening across America resembles some of the worst moments of our nation’s past, from the McCarthy-era witch hunt for communists to systemic attempts to destroy the Black leaders and organizations of the Civil Rights Movement to the crackdown on Vietnam War opponents to the government abuses and systemic discrimination in the years after 9/11.
“In recent months, college students have been doxxed, attacked, and arrested. Teachers, doctors, and other workers have faced discrimination and termination. Protesters have been defamed and brutalized. Dozens of Muslim and Palestinian Americans have been violently attacked for wearing visible signs of their religion or culture.
“This must end, starting with Greenberg Traurig’s ludicrous and offensive lawsuit.”
Endorsing National Organizations Include: American Center for Justice; American Muslim Bar Association; American Muslim Voice Foundation; Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL); CAIR Action 501(c)4; Center for Protest Law & Litigation @ Partnership for Civil Justice Fund; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Defending Rights & Dissent; Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA); Human Dignity Project (THDP); ICNA Council for Social Justice (ICNA CSJ); Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC); International Islamophobia Studies and Research Association; Islamic Association of North America (IANA); Islamophobia Studies Center; Libyan American Alliance; Muslim American Society (MAS); Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC); Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); Muslim Students Association of the US & Canada (MSA National); Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA); Muslims for Just Futures; Palestinian American Community Center; Qandeel Law Firm, PLLC; The People’s Forum; US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR); US Council of Muslim Organizations; Veterans For Peace; Voices for Justice in Palestine; and, Young Muslims.
Endorsing Regional, State, and Local Organizations Include: Ahlulbayt Society of Columbus; Ansaar Academy of Inland Empire; Arizona Muslim Alliance; AZ Muslim Police Advisory Board; Greenview Madani Center; Hamzah Islamic Center; Husaynia Islamic Society of Seattle; Islamic Center of Detroit; Islamic Center of Reseda; Islamic Center of San Diego; Islamic Center of Wheaton ICW; MAS Center of New Jersey; MAS DC; MAS Maryland; Masjid al Wadud; Masjid Al-Furqan – West Cobb Islamic Center; Muslim American Public Affairs Council (MAPAC); Muslim American Society (MAS) Central Florida; Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh; Noor Islamic Cultural Center; PAMM- Philadelphia Alliance of Muslim Mothers; SABA Islamic Center, San Jose, CA; Shura of New York: Islamic Leadership Council of NY; Tawhid Center; The Retreat; and, Tri-City Islamic Center.
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