An open letter to Muslim leaders to drop Emgage due to alliances with anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim organizations
(To become a signatory of this open letter, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page)
Leaders at Emgage have repeatedly disregarded the legitimate interests of Muslim communities in the United States to the detriment of the constituencies they claim to represent.
According to recent reporting, many high-ranking members of Emgage, including board members, chairs, founders, and the CEO, as well as the organization itself, have worked in lockstep with AIPAC, the Muslim Leadership Initiative (MLI), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the American Jewish Committee (AJC), and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).
One need not list how AIPAC engages in deep Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian activity.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) was founded by AIPAC leaders and has consistently defended Israeli policies.
The ADL boasts that it “has always been a strong voice for Israel,” denouncing BDS as anti-Semitic and justifying Israeli crimes. Its long history of suppression of movements for social justice and attacking communities of color extends beyond Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian smear campaigns to engaging in deadly exchange programs between American police forces and Israel. These ADL-sponsored programs promote expanded surveillance, racial profiling, and the suppression of public protests through the use of force. Dozens of progressive groups, representing Palestinians, Jews, and African Americans, have urged all peoples to sever ties with the ADL.
MLI is a propaganda-laden trip to Israel sponsored by the Jerusalem-based Shalom Hartman Institute, which works closely with the Israeli military and is funded by the Russell Berrie Foundation, a funder of notorious Islamophobes Steve Emerson and Daniel Pipes.
The AJC brags that it “advocates for Israel at the highest levels.” It also denounces the BDS movement, dedicating an entire section of its website to these efforts.
Notable Emgage Involvement with Zionist Orgtanizations:
- Board Member Farooq Mitha, who also serves as Joe Biden’s Muslim Engagement Advisor, has boasted to former employees that he is or was a member of AIPAC and has attended AIPAC events. He also worked at the Pentagon during the Obama administration, helping to normalize ties between Israel and Arab nations under the banner of “Track II diplomacy.”
- Emgage CEO Wael Alzayat served as an “expert” at WINEP. He also currently serves on the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, a project of the AJC and ISNA (Islamic Society of North America). He also partnered with the ADL on a joint letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Finally, even after Emgage’s recent claims of an alleged policy from 2018 to no longer attend MLI, Alzayat, in December 2019, partnered with the Shalom Hartman Institute and the ADL to launch yet another faithwashing initiative.
- Emgage Co-Chair Khurrum Wahid attended MLI in 2015. He sits on the Civil Rights Committee of the ADL in Miami, where he has served for at least ten years. Along with Mitha, he also hosted a fundraiser in 2010 for former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Miami-area Republican and one of the most far-right supporters of Israel in Congress.
- Emgage Texas Executive Director Nabila Mansoor attended MLI and has partnered with the ADL in Texas. Mansoor also gave a talk at South by Southwest (SXSW) with a panel including the Alumni Director for MLI, Maital Friedman, where they talk about the benefits of MLI.
- In 2018, Emgage National Co-Chair AJ Durrani was given an award by the ADL in Houston. Durrani and Emgage Texas Board Member Farrukh Shamsi attended MLI together as well.
As an illustration of Emgage’s harmful political activity, after the Joe Biden campaign issued a public disavowal of Palestinian-Muslim-American DNC National Delegate Linda Sarsour, Wahid and Mitha sought to obtain concessions in the form of more appointments in the Biden campaign and/or transition team in lieu of a public apology. Such an apology was the specific demand of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim American leaders and activists.
Palestinians have been nearly unanimous in their calls urging all people to reject interacting with any of the above groups, as such activity serves to normalize Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people.
Despite a recent statement by Emgage expressing support for BDS and the Palestinian right of return, we have witnessed no accountability or public apology from the organization for the above-cited litany of harmful actions.
Therefore, we call on Emgage to formally end its current normalization activities, coupled with a pledge to refrain from such future activities in accordance with BDS principles. Additionally, we call on Emgage to issue a statement denouncing Zionism as a racist ideology.
In light of all of the above, we call on all organizations and individuals to drop any affiliations with Emgage in the absence of such assurances and statements.
Accordingly, we further assert that Farooq Mitha, Joe Biden’s “Muslim Engagement Advisor,” does not represent the views or will of our communities.
We urge all people of conscience to no longer tolerate unprincipled leadership threatening our community and undermining the voices of grassroots Muslim and Palestinian activists.
Signed,
*Organizational affiliations listed for identification purposes only
* Scroll to the bottom to become a signatory of this letter.
253 signatures on this open letter to date.
| 253 | Dr. Sabha Abour | Researcher |
| 252 | Shahla Wahid | Ms |
| 251 | Mazen Khawaja | New School for Social Research |
| 250 | Sama Alshaibi | Professor, School of Art, University of Arizona |
| 249 | John Hsu | Our Revolution Middlesex County NJ Chair |
| 248 | Osman Athar | Physician |
| 247 | Imani Oakley | Community Member |
| 246 | Sara Bawany | Community member |
| 245 | Amna Ahmed | Community member |
| 244 | Reza Subhani | None |
| 243 | Saba Refai | community member |
| 242 | Farrah Sutriono | Muslim Women Kreate |
| 241 | Farhana Kara Motala | Human Rights Activist |
| 240 | Amna Mallick | PD |
| 239 | May Zegar | Dr |
| 238 | Sarwat Husain | Co-Chair American Muslim Democratic Caucus-National (AMDC National) |
| 237 | Nathaniel Mathews | concerned citizen |
| 236 | Malak Samaha | community member |
| 235 | Yafa Samaha | Community Member |
| 234 | Mariam El-Khatib | Community Member |
| 233 | Maryum Khwaja | Community member |
| 232 | Shariq Mohammad | Community Member |
| 231 | Mohammad alam | Community Member |
| 230 | Urooj Rahman | Community Member |
| 229 | Frida Isachsen | Community Member |
| 228 | Samer Husein | concerned American |
| 227 | Sabina Wildman | Labor Organizer |
| 226 | Azhar Raina | Mr |
| 225 | Nisreen Zeidan | Community Member |
| 224 | Rulla M | Attorney |
| 223 | Fawzia Khan | Ms |
| 222 | Tareq Omar | Community member |
| 221 | Bahtiyar Yilmaz | Physician |
| 220 | Eman Abdelaziz | PACC |
| 219 | Paul Noursi | Virginia Coalition for Human Rights |
| 218 | Bassem Saleh | NGP |
| 217 | Danya Reda | Muslims4Bernie |
| 216 | Sultan AbouHamdan | Community Member |
| 215 | Jamal El-Mokadem | Community Member |
| 214 | Omer Arain | Labor researcher and activist |
| 213 | Olivia Vita | - |
| 212 | Muhammed Malik | Fmr CAIR-South Florida Executive Director, Fmr Florida delegate to GP International Committee |
| 211 | Nida Ali | Dr |
| 210 | Senan shaq | USPC board member |
| 209 | Syed Raheemullah | Community activist |
| 208 | Sulayman Ferguson | Concerned Muslim |
| 207 | Talha Maqsood | Community member |
| 206 | Ameer Fare | Community Member |
| 205 | Mohamad Okal | Mr |
| 204 | Barbora Weberova | - |
| 203 | Ali Rida | Entrepreneur |
| 202 | Vivian Khalaf | Attorney |
| 201 | Omar Tawil | Imam |
| 200 | Tarek Alsmoudi | Mr |
| 199 | Shazad Ibnul | Concerned Muslim |
| 198 | Mohammad Abou-Ghazala | Palestine Youth Movement |
| 197 | Nadia Amer | Concerned Citizen |
| 196 | Sofia Saiyed | Muslim Anti-Racist Action Collective |
| 195 | Fatima Mojaddidy | Muslim Anti-Racist Action Collective |
| 194 | Rabyaah Althaibani | Founder Arab Women’s Voice |
| 193 | anan zahr | Phil community activist |
| 192 | Khalid Omar | Solo Artist |
| 191 | Habib Sayyed | IAMC |
| 190 | Hadi Ali | independent |
| 189 | Huma Minhas | Ms |
| 188 | Abeer Minhas | Community Member |
| 187 | Barakat Saleh | Arab Americans of central Ohio |
| 186 | Hammoudah Hammoudah | VA |
| 185 | Farhana Motala | Personal capacity |
| 184 | Siraj Mohammed | Activist |
| 183 | Kamal Hasan | MD |
| 182 | M. J. Khan | Former Houston City Councilman |
| 181 | Hafsa Chaudhary | Dr. |
| 180 | Amani Zoghbi | Academic/Researcher |
| 179 | S. Hasan Kamal | Concerned Muslim American |
| 178 | rania bitar | Digital Marketing Manager |
| 177 | Minhaal Randerwala | Activist |
| 176 | Samer Siam | Na |
| 175 | George Makhlouf | V. Rev. Fr. |
| 174 | Shahid Jamil | Concerned Citizen |
| 173 | Mohamed Saam | Mr. |
| 172 | Shahid Jamil | Concerned Citizen |
| 171 | Ahmed Shraim | Me. |
| 170 | Manal Hussain | NGP |
| 169 | Abeer Fraihat | Community Member |
| 168 | Nasser Sukhon | Md |
| 167 | Wally Yazbak | Sr. IT Consultants, NGP Member & ADC GA Chapter President |
| 166 | Nadia Twam | Palestinian |
| 165 | Majed Ajameyeh | Mr |
| 164 | May Seikaly | NGP |
| 163 | Khair Assaf | New Generation for Palestine |
| 162 | Mike Enayah | NGP |
| 161 | Sirad Hassan | Student |
| 160 | Imaan Javeed | Community Member |
| 159 | Mazhar Syed | Paralegal; Human Rights Advocate |
| 158 | Iskander Abbasi | Community Member |
| 157 | yasmeen azam | Community Member |
| 156 | Yasmeen Azam | Community Member |
| 155 | Aber Kawas | Community Member |
| 154 | Akmal Ahmed | Dentist |
| 153 | Ashley Young | Community member |
| 152 | Sana Qutubuddin | Political organizer/activist |
| 151 | Khalida Wani | Community Member |
| 150 | Maha Yousef | Homemaker |
| 149 | Aamir Ali | Physicist - UC Berkeley |
| 148 | Atharunnisa Saifuddin | Community Member |
| 147 | Suzanne Nobel | McGill University Hispanic Studies |
| 146 | Aidan Ali | HSI |
| 145 | Abdullah Abdul Majid | Student |
| 144 | Muadh Khan | Community Member |
| 143 | Naeela Baksh | Manna Community CIC |
| 142 | Cyrus McGoldrick | Community Member |
| 141 | Laila Kassis | Community Member |
| 140 | Zahi Abdein | Community Member |
| 139 | Fatima Fazili | Academic |
| 138 | Mohammad Ansari | Community Member |
| 137 | Zeeshan Hussein | Activist |
| 136 | Louis Semaan | Community Member |
| 135 | Farooque Rizmy | Community Member |
| 134 | Zahoor Shah | Community Member |
| 133 | Fathia Shawish | Palestinian |
| 132 | Safina Sofi | Community Member |
| 131 | Ayman Khafaji | Former Vice chair of the Progressive Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party |
| 130 | Fahd Ahmed | DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving, Executive Director |
| 129 | Ammar Bashiti | Senior Finance Director |
| 128 | Sabiha Wadoo | Community Member |
| 127 | Qaiser Bashir | University of Texas |
| 126 | Mohammad Kapadia | Community Member |
| 125 | Qurat Mir | Community Member |
| 124 | Muzaffar Hussain | Community Member |
| 123 | Amer Kheiry | New Generation for Palestine, Member |
| 122 | Anisa Noormohamed | University of Chicago |
| 121 | Aslam Abdullah | Imam |
| 120 | Mohammad Sarwar | Community Member |
| 119 | Michel Bahbah | Community Member |
| 118 | Syed Ahmed | Community Member |
| 117 | Syed M Ilyas | Community Member |
| 116 | Irtiza Hasan | Community Member |
| 115 | Joe Milburn | Community Member |
| 114 | Heba Ibrahim | Community Member |
| 113 | Nasser Alkhateeb | Community Member |
| 112 | Osama Helmy | Community Member |
| 111 | Nadia Noor | Community Member |
| 110 | Saba Ali | Community Member |
| 109 | Anna Berg | Community Member |
| 108 | Rafi Sohail | Community Member |
| 107 | Mohammed A. Soussi | Community Member |
| 106 | Asim Khan | Community Member |
| 105 | Sulaiman Hyatt | Community Member |
| 104 | Shabana Irshad | Community Member |
| 103 | Yahya Birt | Community Member |
| 102 | Tareq Salem | Community Member |
| 101 | Zuhdi Masri | Community Member |
| 100 | Wardeh Abdelmuti | Community Member |
| 99 | Rafi Aziz | Community Member |
| 98 | Kawthar Abdullah | Community Member |
| 97 | Hebh Jamal | Community Member |
| 96 | Ayman Khader | Community Member |
| 95 | Celine Qussiny | Community Member |
| 94 | Clara O’Malley | Community Member |
| 93 | Haroon Rashid | Community Member |
| 92 | Mo Nehad | Candidate for Constable, Fort Bend County, tX |
| 91 | Salem Sarsour | ISM |
| 90 | Lara Kiswani | Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Executive Director |
| 89 | Talal Khairi | Muslims4Bernie Volunteer |
| 88 | Nadia Ahsan | Muslims4Bernie2020 - volunteer |
| 87 | Wafic Faour | Vtjp Vermonters for Justice in Palestine |
| 86 | Mujeeb Khan | Policy Coordinator- Muslim Voters of America |
| 85 | Asma Elhuni | Rights and Democracy NH |
| 84 | Yahya Khan Sultan | NLC - NJ, DSA - North Jersey |
| 83 | Rachelle Mehdi | University of Michigan (student) |
| 82 | Eddie Edwards | Attorney |
| 81 | Mariya Mujahid | Student/Bernie 2020 Organizer |
| 80 | Bounechada Nourelyakine | Physician |
| 79 | Amir Manraj | Wiley Rein |
| 78 | Faran Kharal | Muslim American Society |
| 77 | Hafsa Kanjwal | Academic |
| 76 | Bader Risheg | AMP/AlKhalil Charitable Association - Teacher/Activist |
| 75 | Susan Smith | Fellowship of Reconciliation, USA |
| 74 | Haithem El-Zabri | Palestine Online Store |
| 73 | Nerdeen Kiswani | Within our Lifetime - United for Palestine |
| 72 | Yusuf Yenikomsu | independent Carfo worker |
| 71 | Tasnim Sammak | PhD Candidate, Monash |
| 70 | Tarek Younis | Middlesex University |
| 69 | Hussein Beydoun | Organizer, Activist |
| 68 | Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail | University of Malaya |
| 67 | Kareem Youssef | USPCN |
| 66 | Moe Bal | ME Peace Action |
| 65 | Mo Ray-Zac | Muslims4Bernie |
| 64 | Mohammad Abbasi | CAPSA |
| 63 | Naseer Alam | IASJ |
| 62 | Thahitun Mariam | Progressive Bangladeshi-American Activist and Organizer |
| 61 | Karen Bernal | California Democratic Party |
| 60 | Sana Din | Muslim Women Kreate |
| 59 | Mo Nehad | Mo Nehad for People |
| 58 | Hannah Rajah | Muslims4Bernie Volunteer |
| 57 | Mohamad Almasry | Doha Institute for Graduate Studies |
| 56 | Naeem Raja | Coalition of Americans for Political and Social Awareness |
| 55 | Muneeza Rizvi | UC Davis Department of Anthropology |
| 54 | Naushaba Saher | Muslims4Bernie Volunteer |
| 53 | Farrah Ahsan | Muslims4Bernie Volunteer |
| 52 | Sofia Ahsan | Muslims4Bernie |
| 51 | Dina Sayed Ahmed | Amnesty International and WNYC |
| 50 | Olivia Cantu | Mustino Times, Executive Director |
| 49 | Cyra Akila Choudhury | FIU Law |
| 48 | Lubna Hammad | Yalla Indivisible |
| 47 | Aliyah Khan | NoVA Democratic Socialists of America, Member |
| 46 | Sahar Ghumkhor, PhD | University of Melbourne, Academic |
| 45 | Hamzah Raza | Journalist |
| 44 | Syed Raheel Hassan | Attending Physician |
| 43 | Fatima Mughal | Central Jersey Democratic Socialists of America |
| 42 | Ayesha Mughal | Central Jersey Democratic Socialists of America, Co-Chair |
| 41 | Sarwat Malik-Hassan | Progressive Organizer and Activist |
| 40 | Imran Shareef | American Muslim Democratic Caucus |
| 39 | Mustafaa Carroll | American Muslim Democratic Caucus |
| 38 | Syed Hasan | American Muslim Democratic Caucus, 2020 DNC National Delegate - TX |
| 37 | Aftab Siddiqui | American Muslim Democratic Caucus, 2020 DNC National Delegate - TX |
| 36 | Ahmed Bedier | United Voices for America, President, 2016 DNC National Delegate - FL |
| 35 | Imran Salha | Imam and Faith Leader |
| 34 | Imran Shareef | American Muslim Democratic Caucus |
| 33 | Mustafaa Carroll | American Muslim Democratic Caucus |
| 32 | Syed Hasan | American Muslim Democratic Caucus, 2020 DNC National Delegate - TX |
| 31 | Aftab Siddiqui | American Muslim Democratic Caucus, 2020 DNC National Delegate - TX |
| 30 | Mohammad Fadel | University of Toronto Faculty of Law |
| 29 | Nadia Ahmad | 2020 DNC National Delegate - FL |
| 28 | Nazim Uddin | 2020 DNC National Delegate - NC |
| 27 | Manzoor Cheema | Project South |
| 26 | El-Hajj Mauri Saalakhan | The Aafia Foundation |
| 25 | Zainab Khan | Palestinian Youth Movement - Atlanta |
| 24 | Azadeh Shahshahani | Project South, National Lawyers Guild |
| 23 | Nura Bawab | The Palestinian Solidarity Committee, Austin, TX |
| 22 | Osama Mor | Palestinian Youth Movement - Atlanta |
| 21 | Sameena Usman | 2020 DNC National Delegate - CA |
| 20 | Mazen Naser | Palestine Solidarity Arizona |
| 19 | Jonathan AC Brown | Georgetown University |
| 18 | Lara Kiswani | Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Executive Director |
| 17 | Nader Hashemi | University of Denver |
| 16 | Murad Sarama | Democrats for Justice in Palestine, Chairman |
| 15 | Carmel Abuzaid | Palestinian Youth Movement |
| 14 | Ghiyath Alazzah | Palestinian Youth Movement |
| 13 | Ramzy Baroud | Journalist |
| 12 | Laila El-Haddad | Author |
| 11 | Lamis J. Deek | Human Rights Attorney, NLG, Al-Awda, NY4Palestine |
| 10 | Amani Barakat | Al-Awda Palestinian Right to Return Coalition |
| 9 | Leena Al-Arian | Coalition for Civil Freedoms, Executive Director |
| 8 | Iyad Afalqa | President, California Democratic Council (CDC, Executive Board Member, California Democratic Party), 2016 DNC National Delegate - CA |
| 7 | Sam Hindi | Foster City, CA Councilmember, 2020 DNC National Delegate - CA |
| 6 | Rabab Abdulhadi, PhD | Director and Senior Scholar, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies, San Francisco State University |
| 5 | Susan Abulhawa | US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel |
| 4 | Khaled Abou El Fadl, PhD | UCLA School of Law |
| 3 | Amer Zahr | New Generation for Palestine, President |
| 2 | Samia Assed | 2020 DNC National Delegate - NM |
| 1 | Noura Erakat | Jadaliyya |
- To become a signatory of this letter, please complete the following form.
- For the “Affiliation” field, please enter an organizational affiliation (example, “Emgage, Member”), or a profession, or any institution you might be affiliated with.
- Organizational affiliations listed for identification purposes only
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Call to Muslim Leaders to Drop Emgage
