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Home / US Quakers speak out against Supreme Court decision on 'Muslim ban'

US Quakers speak out against Supreme Court decision on 'Muslim ban'

By agency reporter
June 28, 2018

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – a 100-year-old Quaker organisation committed to building a just and lasting peace in the United States and across the world –  has spoken out against the US Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Trump Administration’s travel ban, which bars people from seven countries  (five of which are majority Muslim) from entering the United States. 

“Urgent action is needed to protect the lives of people from countries affected by the ban, but instead the US is continuing a dark history of legalised oppression”, said Dina El-Rifai, who works with AFSC’s Communities Against Islamophobia project. “Communities across the country have been organising against racist and anti-Muslim policies such as the Muslim ban, and will continue to organise in light of today's Supreme Court decision.”

AFSC’s Communities Against Islamophobia project advocates for policies that respect the rights and dignity of Muslims and opposes policies of profiling, surveillance, and state violence against the Muslim community. Muslim staff lead political education workshops for young Muslims, and the project trains allies to understand anti-Muslim racism and support Muslim led organising. 

“We will not stand for policies that target and criminalise Muslims,” said Mary Zerkel, who serves as the project’s coordinator. “We’re calling on people across the country to join AFSC and the #NoMuslimBanEver coalition of more than 100 community groups and thousands of individuals across the country to say we will never accept a Muslim ban.” 

AFSC offices across the country have been active in mobilising against the Muslim Ban since the first version was introduced by the Trump administration. The organisation has a long history of opposing discriminatory federal policies.

* The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organisation that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, it nurtures the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social systems.

* American Friends Service Committee https://www.afsc.org/

[Ekk/6]

 

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