Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June/July 2019, pp. 50-51
Muslim American Activism
By Elaine Pasquini
Amid a time of heightened Islamophobia in the United States, the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) hosted its eighth annual “Muslim Day at the Capitol” April 22 in Sacramento. The all-day event drew some 650 Muslims of all ages from across the Golden State to discuss important human rights and civil liberties issues with state legislators.
During their meetings in the Capitol offices, high school students and community members urged passage of the following bills and one proposed amendment to the California Constitution:
- High School Graduation Requirements Act (AB331), which would mandate the completion of one semester of ethnic studies to the state’s high school graduation requirements;
- Free the Vote Act (ACA 6), which would amend the California Constitution to restore voting rights to people on parole;
- California Act to Save Lives (AB392), which would make clear that police officers should only use deadly force when they do not have other options. It would redefine the circumstances under which a homicide by a police officer is deemed justifiable, for example, in self-defense or in defense of another person.
On the Capitol steps, California state Assembly members Jose Medina (D-61st Assembly District), Shirley Weber (D-79th Assembly District) and Kevin McCarty (D-7th Assembly District) discussed the importance and necessity of these proposed bills.
Among many topics in her wide-ranging keynote address, MPower Change founder and executive director Linda Sarsour stressed that all Americans should have access to a quality education and healthcare. In addition, she argued, “Everyone living in the United States–including undocumented immigrants–should be treated with dignity and respect. This is common humanity.”
Supporting human rights for everyone is not “a liberal or progressive issue,” she pointed out. “Don’t let people give you a label or tell you that you are too liberal or too far to the left. No, you are just being a Muslim, which means you stand up for human rights and the dignity of all people. Being Muslim means speaking truth to power regardless of the consequences.”
The upcoming 2020 election, she told the crowd, “is not about who you like. It’s about who is the best candidate for the community. Elect people to office who stand for human rights, who stand for peace and justice. Vote for people who are anti-military intervention and who would put the trillions of dollars that we put into war into our hospitals, schools, education system and the infrastructure here in the United States. Those are the people that I want to represent me in office.”
The large increase in attendance at this year’s event “illustrates that California Muslims are strengthening their political muscle and helping influence California politics for a more inclusive, tolerant and just state for all,” said CAIR-Sacramento Valley/Central California chapter executive director Basim Elkarra in closing remarks.
