Muslim communities remain at risk as long as DHS fails to address prior denial of NSGP access to Muslim institutions
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/20/26) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that it sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging immediate action at DHS and FEMA to restore Muslim community access to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) following Monday’s deadly anti-Muslim terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego that left five people dead, including the two attackers, who died from self-inflicted wounds.
CLICK HERE: Read CAIR’s letter to DHS Secretary Mullin
CAIR’s letter warns that Muslim communities, mosques, Islamic schools, community centers, and nonprofit institutions remain at serious risk of violence as long as DHS fails to address widespread concerns that Muslim organizations were previously denied equal access to federal security funding programs.
The letter cites reporting that DHS previously paused security grants for DOGE review, discussed proposals for a “blanket ban” on Muslim organizations receiving grants, and later stripped funding from dozens of Muslim organizations using vague and bad-faith allegations of extremism by the anti-Muslim hate group Middle East Forum when reviewing Muslim organizations for security grants.
CAIR’s letter further raises concerns about DHS grant conditions restricting constitutionally protected advocacy, including provisions barring participation in so-called “discriminatory prohibited boycotts,” language that Muslim and civil rights organizations warn could be used to target protected advocacy related to Palestinian human rights. The letter also notes concerns that DHS’s broader posture toward religious communities serving immigrant populations could continue influencing grant decisions under the broad discretion retained by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
In the letter, CAIR urges DHS to:
- Brief American Muslim leaders on DHS efforts to protect mosques and ensure equal NSGP access;
- Remove NSGP conditions restricting free speech and requiring cooperation with immigration enforcement activities;
- Publicly disclose whether Muslim organizations were excluded from receiving grants or subjected to additional scrutiny; and
- Publicly commend Amin Abdullah, the security guard killed protecting worshipers and schoolchildren during the attack.
The letter also documents a disturbing pattern of anti-Muslim attacks targeting mosques nationwide, including planned mass shootings, arson attacks, bomb threats, and violent assaults against Muslim worshipers in Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Florida, and Minnesota.
CAIR noted that its latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996. The letter also cites research from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate showing an approximately 1,450 percent increase in anti-Muslim extremist rhetoric by public officials in the 15 months after February 2025, warning that many such statements satisfy criteria for speech likely to inspire violence.
Finally, CAIR’s letter warns that mosques remain visible and vulnerable targets for extremists motivated by anti-Muslim hatred and that federal security programs must be administered fairly and equally to ensure Muslim communities are able to protect themselves.
CAIR is also calling on Muslim community leaders to utilize its “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety” booklet to help keep religious facilities safe. The advice in the booklet is applicable to all houses of worship.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
ENDCONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com