(WASHINGTON, DC – 11/22/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that overnight dozens of Maryland Muslim community organizations and over 3,800 petitioners have called on Attorney General Anthony Brown to reverse his decision “temporarily” suspending her role on the state’s Hate Crimes Commission under pressure from anti-Muslim and anti-Palestine groups who misconstrued some of her personal social media posts about the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Brown signed by dozens of Maryland Muslim organizations and a separate community petition signed by almost 4,000 people in less than 24 hours, Maryland community members and supporters wrote:
“As the only American Muslim on the Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Commission, Zainab Chaudry’s voice was critical in representing our community’s concerns to your office. Even a temporary suspension of her role is harmful and completely unjustified. Like Zainab, many members of the Maryland community have been critical of the Israel government’s horrific crimes against the Palestinian people…Suspending Zainab for criticizing the Israeli government’s horrific crimes and for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people is unacceptable. This attack on her is an attack on all of us and we will not accept it.”
They also wrote, “As Zainab has said, ‘There is no conflict between condemning the Israeli government’s war crimes overseas and standing up against all forms of hate here at home, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. False smears from anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim extremists will not stop me from standing up for justice here and abroad.’ I completely agree.”
Signatories
Anne Arundel County Muslims Council
Baltimore Area Muslims (BAM)
Baltimore County Muslim Council
Family Rights for Religious Freedom
House of Worship LLC
Howard County Muslim Council (HCMC)
Islamic Circle of North America DMV Region
Islamophobia Studies Center
Islamic Center of Maryland
Islamic Center of Owings Mills
Islamic Community Center of Laurel
Islamic Community of Potomac
Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB)
Islamic Society of Frederick
Islamic Society of Baltimore
Justice For All
Masjid Mustafa
Maryum Islamic Center
Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC)
Muslim Family Center
Muslim Outreach and Volunteer Enterprise
Muslim American Society MD
The Academy of Muslim Achievement
The Islamic Society of Baltimore
The Tunisian United Network
United Maryland Muslim Council
American Muslims for Palestine
Would Peace Org
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@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