Local Muslims Launch National Campaign to #RecognizeMuslimRoots

What do all-star basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, multimillion founder of Chobani Hamdi Ulukaya, the first Somali-American legislator Ilhan Omar, and iconic civil rights activist Malcolm X all have in common? Aside from all being a famous list of names, most will be surprised to learn that each is Muslim. Even more astounding is the fact that all of their names can be found printed on a resolution currently sitting in Congress.

House Resolution 869 lists their names-- along with thirty-nine others-- in order to formally recognize influential American-Muslim figures and their contributions/roots throughout all of American history. The resolution includes figures from as far back as the revolutionary war to present day, from war heroes to groundbreaking scientists to athletes, and of all nationalities.

What’s the Purpose? Why Should I Care?
So what purpose does this formal recognition serve? Several, according to ICNA Council for Social Justice, who are leading the national campaign to ‘#RecognizeMuslimRoots’, urging Congress to pass H. Res 869.

One of the main motivations behind the house resolution is that it is a first step in combating the negative preconceived misconceptions regarding Muslims in our modern society. Majority of the media focuses solely on terror storylines and serve only to further propagate racist narratives and prejudice against the Muslim community. To put the Islamophobic bias of the media into perspective, a study found that the media gave 449% more coverage to terror attacks when the perpetrator turned out to be Muslim, even though they tend to be less in both number and scale compared to other attacks.

By launching the #RecognizeMuslimRoots Campaign, ICNA CSJ hopes to counter that exact negative narrative by offering a positive alternative. Formal recognition may not seem like much, but when it occurs on a federal level, it carries weight and speaks for itself. Similar legislation in the past for other minority groups has proven this to be true, as can be seen as resolutions for Asian/Pacific Americans, Latinos, African-Americans, Native-Americans, Jewish-Americans, and several others.

Additionally, Muslims are an underrepresented minority in Congress and legislation overall. In turn, the passage of this resolution would be hugely groundbreaking, hopefully pushing Congress to consider marginalized voices and as well create more inclusive legislation which recognizes the struggles certain minorities face.

The sharp increase in hate crimes and assaults against Muslims to near 9/11 era levels proves the growing necessity of this bill. The group hopes that the passage of the resolution and the campaign itself will serve as a shining light in a dark time of peak Islamophobia.

How to Help
If you’re interested in getting involved, ICNA CSJ has a easily-navigable website with all campaign-related resources located right here. It contains more information on the campaign, resources on rich American-Muslim history, and ways to help out in two minutes or less!

As for quick links, the organization has a petition to Congress you can sign, a way to send a message to your Congressperson through text in 5 minutes (or less!), a place to share your own personal story, and Twitter/ Facebook/ Instagram accounts where you can keep up with the campaign and share their posts. They also post an influential American-Muslim and their own story every day on these accounts, which prove to be inspiring regardless of whichever background you may come from. If you want to take it to the next level and work with ICNA CSJ in their campaign promotions, email info@icnacsj.org.

Together, we’ll ask to Congress to endorse this resolution for their Muslim neighbor, friend, co-worker, constituents, and local community.

Together, we’ll make the world a more inclusive and safe place for everyone— step by step.