Issue:

Muslim Civil Rights Leader to Testify at Congressional Hearing on Trump’s Muslim Ban

First Ever Congressional Hearing on Muslim Ban to Feature Muslim Advocates’ Farhana Khera, Ban Victims

***Livestream available here***

WHAT: On Tuesday, Congress will hold a historic hearing on President Trump’s Muslim Ban that will feature testimony from Muslim Advocates Executive Director Farhana Khera and individuals directly impacted by the ban. The Muslim Ban continues to tear families apart and deny people in need access to lifesaving medical treatments. The hearing will also cover the NO BAN Act (HR 2214/S 1123), a bill supported by nearly 400 organizations and several leading corporations that would end the Muslim Ban, fix our immigration laws to prevent discrimination on the basis of religion, and be the first bill passed to specifically protect the rights of American Muslims.

WHO: The hearing will feature testimony from a panel of expert witnesses including:

  • Farhana Khera, founder and executive director of Muslim Advocates: Ms. Khera is an American Muslim civil rights leader who founded Muslim Advocates in 2005 to ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination. Ms. Khera and Muslim Advocates have played a leading role in developing the NO BAN Act. Muslim Advocates is also co-counsel on Emami v. Nielsen, a major and ongoing class action lawsuit challenging the Muslim Ban. Ms. Khera also testified at the first ever congressional hearing on the rights of American Muslims in 2011.

 

  • Ismail Alghazali, Muslim Ban victim: Mr. Alghazali is a U.S. citizen who works in a bodega in Brooklyn while his Yemeni wife and two young children are trapped halfway around the world in Yemen. His wife, who was pregnant at the time and who suffers from a heart condition, interviewed for a visa in 2018. Despite having everything in order and their clearly dire circumstances, they were told that her visa was denied because of the Muslim Ban. Mr. Alghazali is also a plaintiff in Emami v. Nielsen.

 

WHEN: Tuesday Sept. 24 at 10 AM ET

WHERE: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, 20515

Farhana Khera and Ismail Alghazali will be available for interviews. If you would like to speak to either of them, please email Eric Naing at [email protected].

Additional Resources:

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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