#103 Scott Simpson, Muslim Advocates

How is it possible for laws that determine the fate of Muslim Americans to be decided without them having a seat at the decision-making table? That is the power imbalance that motivated the launch of Muslim Advocates by Farhana Khera in 2005. Muslim Advocates works "in communities, the courts and in Congress", to address discriminatory public policies and corporate practices impacting the lives of our nation's over 400 Muslim Americans. The challenges faced by Muslim Americans require more than legal and legislative solutions. Our news media needs to tell the stories of who Muslim Americans are and how their lives have been impacted by misguided policy actions. Those include Mayor Bloomberg's surveillance of community members simply for being Muslim and President Trump's recently expanded Muslim Travel Ban. As Scott Simpson, Muslim Advocates Director of Policy Advocacy explains, working in partnership with other civil rights champions is critical to raising the profile of Muslim Americans and the hateful policies and rhetoric that harm them. Muslim Americans are standing up for themselves, their families and communities and all of us need to stand with them.