The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that it has issued formal letters to all ten Maryland representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate calling on them to cosponsor (or introduce a Senate companion) to H.Res. 876, the “Resolution Recognizing the Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza,” introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) and joined by 20 original co-sponsors.
In its message to Maryland’s Congressional delegation, CAIR emphasized that the resolution seeks to ensure that the United States fulfills its binding legal obligations under the Genocide Convention by taking specific actions to halt U.S. complicity in mass atrocities.
“Marylanders of all faiths and backgrounds are demanding moral leadership,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “They do not want their tax dollars financing mass atrocities. They want their elected officials to uphold human rights, international law, and the dignity of all people, including Palestinians.”
The resolution calls on the U.S. government to:
- Halt all U.S. weapons and equipment transfers that enable mass atrocities in Gaza;
- Support international investigations into perpetrators and facilitators of genocide;
- Comply with orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC);
- Impose lawful, targeted sanctions on those responsible for committing genocidal acts.
In its letters, CAIR describes the resolution as both a moral and legal imperative, noting that “the world is watching” to see whether the United States will end its support for policies that violate international law.
The letters read in part:
“On behalf of the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor H.Res. 876…The Israeli government is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, and the United States must now meet its binding responsibilities under the Genocide Convention to ensure that U.S. tax dollars, weapons, and political support no longer contribute to mass atrocities.
“CAIR applauds Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and every original co-sponsor of this resolution for their courage, their clarity, and their commitment to telling the truth. Maryland should not be absent from this list. Your constituents are watching to see whether U.S. lawmakers will continue enabling Israel’s genocide, military occupation, and apartheid – or finally break from the cycle of funding and political cover that fuel this immoral violence.”
CAIR noted that recognizing genocide is not a symbolic gesture; it represents the necessary first step toward accountability under domestic and international law. The civil rights organization pointed out that more than 100 civil society groups – including faith-based coalitions, legal advocacy organizations, Palestinian rights groups, and major human-rights institutions – have endorsed H.Res. 876.
Maryland communities are encouraged to take immediate action to call on their congressional representatives to support H.Res. 876. CAIR has issued an easy, click-and-send action alert guiding community members to contact their elected officials using pre-drafted messages, call scripts, and advocacy resources prepared by the organization.
SEE: Action Alert: Tell Congress to Recognize the Genocide in Gaza
BACKGROUND:
H.Res. 876 acknowledges the findings of numerous U.S., international, Palestinian, and Israeli human-rights organizations – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, B’Tselem, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights – which have concluded that Israel’s assault on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide.
The death toll in Gaza now exceeds 60,000 Palestinians, with hundreds of thousands injured and entire neighborhoods obliterated. Israel’s targeting of hospitals, humanitarian convoys, water and sanitation systems, and its use of famine-inducing blockades has created what human-rights experts call the most extreme, fully man-made famine in modern history.
CAIR emphasizes that the ongoing assault cannot be separated from decades of apartheid, land theft, forced displacement, and military occupation documented extensively by major human-rights groups. H.Res. 876 reflects Congress’s responsibility to confront these systemic violations.
CAIR is the largest Muslim civil-rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062