WASHINGTON, DC — The following is a statement from Scott Simpson, public advocacy director for Muslim Advocates, condemning a resolution adopted on Saturday by the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee, the body that governs Alabama’s Republican Party, which asks the state’s congressional delegation to pursue efforts to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar from Congress. Muslim Advocates has played a leading role in defending attacks on American Muslims in public life.

“Having a state political party officially adopt such a hateful, dishonest resolution is a troubling escalation of the ongoing effort to vilify American Muslims. The text of the resolution reads like a laundry list of the most common anti-Muslim stereotypes: that Rep. Omar is un-American and anti-Semitic, that she disrespects the troops, that she is an ungrateful immigrant and that she sympathizes with terrorists. These meritless slurs are constantly hurled at American Muslims in public life in order to silence and discredit them.

We saw the same type of anti-Muslim bigotry last week from Rep. Mo Brooks, also of Alabama, who falsely said that Muslims are more likely to be anti-Semitic and warned of ‘the growing influence of the Islamic religion in the Democratic Party ranks.’

These are not just attacks on Rep. Omar, these are attacks on an entire community. Dishonest smears like these are used against almost every American Muslim who exercises their right to serve their country. They are designed to intimidate them out of public service and tarnish their credibility. They will not work. When American Muslims in public life are attacked because of their faith, Muslim Advocates and countless Americans of conscience will stand up for what’s right.”

Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination. 

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