By Guest AuthorThe following letter is written by a group of independent activists.
On April 21, 2020, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, New Jersey congressional candidate, received a phone call from an unknown number threatening to kill her and her family. The caller cited her address and used a slew of racial slurs targeting Muslims. As women leaders, we condemn and refuse to normalize this act.
Amani is 27 years old and running to be a public servant for the benefit of all Americans. Yet, because she is a Muslim woman, she is faced with Islamophobic and racist vitriol that threatens her life and the lives of those she loves. Amani is the youngest Muslim woman to run in the United States for a congressional seat and has a history of advocacy and activism for American families and youth. Still, she faces barriers like this horrific threat on her life, that other candidates, and other women that are not Muslim, do not.
We condemn this event and firmly resolve to stand with Amani because young Muslim girls in the future deserve to live in a world where their goals to have an impact are not marred by racist violence. We condemn this act because no woman is free while our Muslim sisters’ lives are threatened.
We, the below signed, are committed to a future of transformative justice that includes Muslim women. Under a Trump presidency that continues to enforce a Muslim Ban and enacts daily attacks on Muslim women, we know there is no space for silence. We unequivocally condemn this act and call on progressive people and organizations to show up for Amani in the face of these horrific events.
In Solidarity,
Zahra Billoo
Sophia Armen
Sameena Usman
Nadine Naber
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
Linda Sarsour
Tamika Mallory
Alicia Garza
Patrisse Cullors
Farah Erzouki
Sayu Bhojwani
Lexi Alexander
Winnie Wong
Melissa Byrne
Rebecca Vilkomerson
Sophie Ellman-Golan
Faiza Ali
Angela Lang
Molly Crabapple
Rehana Rehman
Rebecca Pierce
Denea Joseph
Dr. Nancy A. Khalil
Carmen Perez
Dalia Fahmy
Fatima Salman
Nancy Kricorian
Maha Hilal
Zainab Chaudry
Asra Ali
Sana Qutubuddin
Estee Chandler
Munirah Mansoor-Farooqui
Stosh Cotler
Stefanie Fox
Shelley Streeby
Myriam Sabbaghi
Luz Gallegos
Hoda Hawa
Hind Makki
Dr. Rose Aslan
Arshia Wajid
Tanzila Ahmed
Ismahan Abdullahi
Anna Castro
Somayeh Nikooei
Darakshan Raja
Kay Guinane
Letha Muhammad
Thenmozhi Soundararajan
Suroor Raziuddin
Brianna Auffray
Mustafa Jumale
Sahra Abdi
Sherrel Johnson
Nusaiba Mubarak
Samira Jaweed
Yasmeen Obeid
Jehan Hakim
Hannah Song
Alia Salem
Brea Baker
Susan Freudenheim
Leili Davari
Taleene Armen
Aneelah Afzali
Aliza Kazmi
Tahanie Aboushi
Rachel Faulkner
Lubabah Abdullah
Rabbi Alissa Wise
Debbie Mukamal
Amanda Silver
Arij Mikati
Lisa Sharon Harper
Ramla Sahid
Deborah Waxman
Melissa Balaban
Allegra Heath-Stout
Heather Booth
Lara Kiswani
Ronit Avni
Autumn Leonard
Amanda Lindner
Jamie Beran
Lisa Danetz
Meg Sullivan
Janeen Comenote
Cheryl Cook
Halimah DeOliveira
Jessica González-Rojas
Danielle Feris
Varisha Khan
Andrea Jacobs
Amany Killawi
Pam Campos-Palma
Rabbi Barbara Penzner
Ruth Messinger
Heba Macksoud
Idit Klein
Ruth Silver Taube
Rebecca Katz
Sanaa Abrar
Jollene Levid
Helen Bennett
Sandra Diaz
Kathy Watanabe
Maimona Afzal Berta
Kristina Roth
Karen Hobert Flynn
Deqa Dhalac
Rasha Howlader
Azadeh N Shahshahani
Teresa C Younger
Amria N. Ahmed
Keya Chatterjee
Lynn Berkley-Baskin
Shari Edelstein
Karla Goldman
Rabbi Debra Kolodny
Cassie Rubio
Lisa Gossels
Rebecca Epstein
Suzie Abajian
Jamie Diamond
Melina Abdullah
Thandiwe Abdullah
Tammy Gilden
Sammi Aibinder
Tamara Rushovich
Mazal Etedgi
Carin Mrotz
Sonya Jampel
Rachelle Butt
Sam Hipschman
Alysse Fuchs
Rachel Brustein
Banah Ghadbanah
Roula Allouch
Jennie Rosenn
Eleni Zimiles
Sofia Naseem
Sarah Schneider
Rev. Deborah Lee
Bamby Salcedo
Hannah Recht
Michal David
Emma Kagan
Rebecca Helberg
Caryn Shebowich
Aviva Schwartz
Apolonio Morales
Jamie Allen Black
Rabbi Diane Elliot
Laura Menyuk
Penny Rosenwasser
Julia Rabin
Yasmin Irfani
Melissa Bilal
Yael Fisher
Helen Kim
Allison P Bolgiano
Amelia Mae Paradise
Lakshmi Sridaran
Talya Gillman
R’ Chaya Gusfield
Abigail Weber
Tamara Cohen
Kifah Shah
Rebecca Cooper
Cat Zavis
Cecilie Surasky
Roberta Ritvo
Berkley A Carnine
Rabbi Paula Marcus
Jane Marx
Cynthia Greenberg
Sue Saunders
Adina Alpert
Waseem Bawa
Sarah Bishop
Mindy Grossberg
Wendy Fields
Julia Baskin
Susan Solarz
Molly Amster
Zainab Khan
Hannah Gelder
Judy Heiman
Shirly Bahar
Linda Sartor
Devra Goldstein
Min Kantrowitz
Rabbi Alana Suskin
Sarah Beth Kaye
Idan Erez
Ellen Lippmann
Shelley Cohen
Donna Canali
Danielle Gartenberg
Samia Assed
Rabab Abdulhadi
Madelyn Herzog
Shelley Mann-Lev
Hannah Biskind
Susan Lamont
Rachel Hall
Laura Gonzalez
Cantor Shulamit Wise Fairman
Aurora Katz
Rebecca Ennen
Susan Solarz
Ágnes Vetö
Maria Elizabeth Rodriguez
Susan Lubeck
Magick Altman
Traci Blackmon
Valarie Kaur
Asma Elhuni
Sarah Turner
Bushra Amiwala
Rasha Mubarak
Elizabeth A Landsberg
Rachel Lipton
Jennifer Lamson
Rebecca Mather
Amina Ross
Jess Solomon
Keshira halev Fife
Fatima Anwar
Marcie Wells
Rachel Gottfried-Clancy
Marcia Cohen
Ilona Reitzner
Maria Ramos-Chertok
Noah Mamber
Molly Block
Sandy Kaufman
Reem Bilbeisi
Vicki Plevin
Debra Malenovsky
June Brashares
Reema Ahmad
Lilith Rogers
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