The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) joined more than 500 delegates from 28 states on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as part “National Muslim Advocacy Day,” April 1-2.
Muslim delegates event met with a third of the House of Representatives and almost half of the Senate. CAIR-LA staff and community partners met with the offices of 24 members of Congress who represent the Greater Los Angeles area.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“Meeting with and lobbying our elected representatives is an important part of the American process. It is important for the members of Congress in the Greater Los Angeles area to know they represent more than 500,000 American Muslims who are interested, engaged and eager to advocate for legislation to protect our civil rights and promote justice.”
The lobbying effort, the largest congressional Muslim advocacy event, was sponsored by the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a coalition of leading national and local American Muslim organizations.*
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Muslim delegates urged their members of Congress to co-sponsor and support Rep. Judy Chu’s House Resolution 276, a Resolution Recognizing the History of American Muslims and Their Contributions to our Nation.
READ: CAIR-LA Hails Rep. Judy Chu for Reintroducing a Resolution Celebrating the History and Contributions of American Muslims
Muslim delegates also supported legislative measures to:
- Repeal the Muslim Ban: Legislation pushing back against the Trump Administration’s Muslim travel ban. Legislation that would either defund the ban, repeal the ban or amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to address the legal framework under which the ban was implemented.
- Support Immigration Reform: Supporting DREAMers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders by endorsing the Dream and Promise Act. Seeking to end family separation and detention at the Southern Border by supporting the Alternatives to Detention Act of 2019.
- Support Human Rights for Muslims Worldwide: Urging the United States to continue standing up for the human rights of Muslims internationally, by supporting legislation that addresses the arbitrary detention of Uighur Muslims in China and condemning violence against Rohingya Muslims in Burma.