America's Muslim Leaders Call On Trump To Protect Their First Amendment Rights

Hundreds of Muslim American leaders are urging the President-elect Donald Trump to reject his previously espoused Islamophobic attitudes and fight for the rights of all Americans.

The letter, which was published online on Monday, comes in the wake of reports that the incoming Trump administration is considering instituting a registry for Muslim immigrants to the U.S.

“We are deeply troubled by reports that your team is actively considering proposals that would target Muslims based on religion and violate their Constitutional rights,” the letter states.

A collaborative group of national Muslim American leaders ― including Engy Abdelkader, a senior fellow at Georgetown University, Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Azhar Azeez, president of the Islamic Society of North America ― drafted the letter and distributed it to Muslim leaders and organizations around the country at the end of November. As of Monday the letter had garnered over 300 signatures.

“Based on what has happened during the campaign and since the elections, my biggest concern is the safety, security and well-being of Americans who are Muslim as well as women, Latino, African Americans and members of other minority communities,” Abdelkader told The Huffington Post.

The election left many marginalized communities fearful of what a Trump presidency would mean for their civil rights, as well as what kind of hate and aggression it might unleash. Their fears have proven to be entirely justified.

The Southern Poverty Law Center recorded 867 reported hate incidents in the 10 days following the election. Muslim communities have been directly targeted. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, several California mosques received identical letters praising Trump and calling Muslims “vile and filthy people.” On Sunday, a man in New York City violently harassed an off-duty Muslim NYPD officer, threatening to cut her throat.

Even prior to the election, the number of reported assaults against Muslim Americans has reached a record high since right after Sept. 11. The Huffington Post has tracked over 300 acts of violence, discrimination and anti-Muslim rhetoric in the U.S. in 2016 alone.

Many felt that Trump stoked Islamophobia throughout his campaign with calls to ban Muslims from entering the country and claims like “Islam hates us.”

“It behooves President-elect Trump to recognize the impact of his words, let alone potential policies that single out Americans on account of their religion, race or ethnicity,” Abdelkader said.

The letter’s signatories will hold Trump accountable in the coming months, she added, through grassroots organizing and advocacy.

“Like other Americans, we love our country and are committed to preserving religious freedom, equal opportunity and equal protection under the law for all,” the letter states. “As our President-Elect, one of your duties is to ensure our collective safety and security. This includes protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans to freely practice their faith, without fear, intimidation or reprisal.”

Read the full letter here.