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Statement of Muslim Advocates In Response to President Obama’s Speech at Islamic Society of Baltimore

February 3, 2016

Today, President Obama stood with the American Muslim community and made clear for everyone what the members of our community already know: American Muslims are an integral part of the fabric of America and have been since the first slave ships brought Muslims to these shores centuries ago.

We thank the President for his visit as well as his heartfelt message of inclusion, particularly his message to American Muslim youth. We agree with the President that the best way to build strong resilient communities is by working together to expand healthcare, education and opportunity for all.

We also agree that engagement with American Muslim communities must not be a cover for surveillance or profiling based simply on faith.

Muslim Advocates welcomed the President’s words on community engagement and will work closely with Department of Justice and administration officials to ensure the President’s words reflect law enforcement realities on the ground: “We can’t securitize our entire relationship with Muslim Americans. We can’t deal with [American Muslims] solely through the prism of law enforcement. We’ve got to build trust and mutual respect. That’s how we’ll keep our communities strong and our communities united.” – President Barack Obama, February 3, 2016.

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