Local OC resident reflects on her experience at Muslim Day at the Capitol.
(May 14, 2013 – Anaheim, CA)
Recently I was given the opportunity to join over 150 American Muslims from across California to participate in “Muslim Day at the Capitol,” a statewide event organized by the California offices of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). From Anaheim to Sacramento, I traveled with more than 40 participants from CAIR’s Greater Los Angeles area office.
The event was an opportunity for American Muslims to mobilize grassroots participation and advocate for issues concerning local communities by meeting our state legislators.I was inspired to see members of all age groups, from high school students to elderly couples, take time out of their busy lives to positively contribute to their society.
With over 110 legislative visits, we engaged our representatives on three critical priorities affecting the protection of equality and diversity within our state.
These were the TRUST ACT (Assembly Bill 4), which aims to strengthen trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities; the California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (Assembly Bill 241), a bill that protects and grants domestic workers the labor rights other Californians in the workforce enjoy; and the third one was a push for legislation to uphold First Amendment rights to free speech on college campuses. The last issue is a personal subject for me.
As a student who led campaigns to push for free speech protections on my own campus, I was exhilarated to be part of the group that met with the staffer of the co-author of House Resolution 35, a nonbinding resolution passed last year by the state assembly, which aims to chill the free speech rights of students who voiced concerns over human rights violations committed by select foreign governments. It was the perfect opportunity to explain my constituents’ concerns about this legislation and share how we can work together to protect civil rights for all. I was pleasantly surprised to see how receptive the legislative staffers were to our concerns, as they wanted to hear more of what we desired from our elected officials to feel that our civil liberties were protected.
The democratic process of our country is truly exemplary. It is heartening to see how public citizens can meet face-to-face with their elected officials, who graciously welcome them to hear and exchange concerns on political matters. Although the responses towards our legislative priorities varied from fervent support to noncommittal remarks, the ability to engage in dialogues and build relationships with our state senators and assembly members is a valuable democratic practice; and I am grateful to CAIR for spearheading efforts to equip and empower American Muslims to actively participate in this process.
– Ojaala Ahmad is a recent graduate of Cal State Long Beach, former member of CSULB Board of Directors, former statewide spokesperson of CSU Students for Quality Education and former writer, producer and host of KBeach Global Radio