What do Muslim community leaders think of last week’s Obama speech at the Baltimore Islamic Society? Imam Khalid Latif (Executive Director of the Islamic Center at NYU) and activist Linda Sarsour (National Advocacy Director for the National Network for Arab American Communities) pen a thought-provoking op-ed for the Guardian and while they are supportive of the president, they are calling for action behind his words. They call for an end of “racial and religious profiling of American Muslims and other communities of color.” An elimination of “policies and programs that result in the surveillance of mosques, Muslim schools and restaurants” and new policies “that track, monitor and effectively address civil rights violations, discrimination and hate violence targeting our communities.”
They write: “We as American Muslim communities must be seen and treated as citizens of our country and not as suspects. We are also part of leading social justice movements calling for an end to police brutality, a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, education reform and welcoming of Syrian refugees. We are providers of social services, free high quality medical services and on the streets of Flint distributing clean water. We are proud of our history, our contributions to the United States and our work and sacrifices to push our country to be the greatest nation in the world.”
For more on the president’s speech, please check out: Obama Visits U.S. Mosque and Gives Inspiring Speech On Religious Tolerance .
