Asalamu Alaykum,
I returned today from Washington DC after being invited by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to attend our President’s final State of the Union address. I was truly honored by the invitation. Congresswoman Lofgren has been a great ally to the Bay Area Muslim community. Her relationship stems from years of advocacy on behalf of the pressing civil rights issues our community has faced and continues to endure.
Similarly, my colleague Nezar Hamze, Regional Operations Director of CAIR-FL, was in attendance as a guest of Congressman Alcee Hastings. We were nearly 20 Muslim Americans attending as guest of our local Congress members, of which 3 were from California alone. This collective presence was in response to the call of the first Muslim elected to Congress-Representative Keith Ellison and Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz, who urged their fellow lawmakers to invite Muslim American guests to make a political statement in light of the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and wave of incidents targeting Muslims. I chose to accept my invitation so that I too could participate in this political statement.
As I sat in the House chambers and watched our President deliver his final words to our Nation, I was moved that he not only made a resounding commitment to ensure our Nation upholds our values of respecting and embracing our diversity, but that he reminded us all in this current political climate that Islamophobic and xenophobic rhetoric betrays our values as Americans and as citizens of the world. It was refreshing to see our President bring the topic of rising anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence to the national stage, given the unprecedented amount of backlash experienced by our community in the past year. Looking below from the gallery, I saw his words stir something in our Nation’s policymakers and leaders as they stood and applauded fervently.
In his remarks, the president said:
“[W]e need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion…His Holiness, Pope Francis, told this body from the very spot that I am standing on tonight that “to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place.” When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country.”
Video: CAIR State of the Union Address Attendee Sameena Usman Interviewed on MSNBC
I leave Washington D.C. reinvigorated and immensely hopeful for the future of our community this year. Our elected officials have, and will continue to grow in their support and outspoken advocacy. Inspired by our President’s words, our allies and the greater American community will continue to stand with us and speak out against anti-Muslim political rhetoric, vandalism and hate speech.
More than that, I leave with a strengthened resolve to empower our Bay Area community with the numerous programs and initiatives our office will undertake in this Presidential election year. In the coming months, our office will train and mobilize hundreds of community members for our upcoming 5th Annual Muslim Day at the Capitol, voter registration drives and candidates’ forums. On the heels of this event, it is imperative that our community continue to speak to their elected officials, vote for positive change and hold our leaders accountable.
I look forward to your participation in these upcoming events, inshAllah.
Sincerely,
Sameena Usman
Government Relations Coordinator