(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/6/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined other local and national Muslim organizations in welcoming the White House’s latest extension of the moratorium on student loan repayments and again calling on the administration to grant long-term student debt relief by executive action.
In January, dozens of Muslim American organizations sent a letter to President Biden calling on the administration to use executive action to establish long-term student debt relief by:
1. Forgiving loans for borrowers whose past payments have already exceeded the principal amount of their original loan
2. Cancelling at least $50,000 in student debt for remaining borrowers
3. Waiving interest payments on current and future loans
4. Extending the freeze on student loan payments until at least January 1, 2023.
The letter was initiated by A Continuous Charity (ACC), CAIR, the Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF), and the National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML). Payments on most federal student loans have been frozen since March 2020, at the outset of the coronavirus.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“President Biden should solve the student debt crisis once and for using his executive authority. By forgiving borrowers whose loan payments have already exceeded their principal, cancelling at least $50,000 in debt for remaining borrowers, and waiving interest payments on current and future loans, President Biden can grant swift, equitable and long-term relief to Americans burdened by student loan debt.”
Athar Haq, President of A Continuous Charity, said:
“We applaud the recent measures of extending the student loan moratorium and cancellation of some debt. Though it is a step in the right direction, it is not sufficient enough to address the student loan crisis and it not a long term solution. Pursuing a higher education should be a right and should come without consequence of crippling debt or religious conflict due to interest-bearing loans. We call out to President Biden and congress to secure the future of our country and our youth by investing in interest-free student loans.”
READ LETTER & FACT SHEET: Muslim Community Letter to Biden Admin Calling for “Principled Loans” For All
Nearly one-third of all American students go into debt to pay for their college and Americans collectively owe nearly $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. That number is projected to grow to $2 trillion by 2024 and $3 trillion by 2038.
Because of the rising costs of higher education, many students have no choice but to take out interest-based loans to attend school, trapping them in cascading debt that – in some circumstances – becomes impractical to pay back. Heavy student loan debt is causing younger graduating Americans to delay purchasing homes and starting families.
Every year, thousands of Muslims students who are interested in attending college or graduate school feel that they must choose between their faith and their education because Islam–like some other faith traditions–condemns interest-based debt as destructive and immoral.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and other congressional leaders have been pressuring the White House to broadly cancel up to $50,000 of student loan debt per borrower. President Biden however has urged Congress to pass legislation that cancels $10,000 per borrower, excluding high income borrowers.
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.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR’s Email List
https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters
Subscribe to CAIR’s Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR’s YouTube Channel
Follow CAIR on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cair_national/
Donate to CAIR
https://action.cair.com/a/donate
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
You are receiving this email due to your interest selection from commercial media databases. If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: info@cair.com, CC ihooper@cair.com
END
CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com