On 15 June 2022, the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) published a statement saying more than 300 delegates from 20 states had met with 200 elected officials and congressional staffers during the seventh annual “National Muslim Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. According to the statement:
Organized by the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the nation’s largest American Muslim civil society umbrella organization, the Muslim advocacy day resumed for the first time in person after being conducted virtually last year and canceled the year before due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The event featured discussions of registered Muslim delegates with congressional staffers and lawmakers about issues affecting American Muslims and other minorities.
According to the USCMO, delegates called for the adoption of the Combating International Islamophobia Act, which was passed in the House in December 2021. The bill had near-unanimous support from Democrats but now appears stalled in the Senate. It promises to establish a special envoy office at the US State Department to monitor and combat international Islamophobia but has been criticized for its lack of linguistic precision and potentially undermining freedom of expression. In May 2021, the Global Influence Operations Report (GIOR) reported that the USCMO had called on the Biden Administration to create the special envoy office.
The USCMO delegates also called for backing the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2021, which would allow Afghan evacuees to apply to become lawful permanent residents one year after arrival in the United States.
The event’s closing remarks were delivered by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who serves as the US Representative for Michigan’s 13th congressional district. Tlaib, who rose to prominence as part of the “Squad” of progressive freshman lawmakers, has a history of participating in events held by the Global Muslim Brotherhood (GMB) and the Hamas support network in the US.
The United States Council of Muslim Organizations was established in 2014 by eight organizations, seven of which are part of the US Muslim Brotherhood. Since its founding, the USCMO has grown to include 35 member organizations, almost half known as part of the USMB and including nearly every important component of the GMB in the US.
Groups tied to the GMB in the US have repeatedly hosted civic engagement events, providing Muslim citizens an opportunity to participate in meetings with legislative offices and state senators. Prior GIOR reporting on the topic has included:
- In July 2021, the GIOR reported about the 2021 “National Muslim Advocacy Day,” which featured an appearance by US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D‑MI).
- In March 2021, the GIOR reported that the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had hosted a virtual edition of its annual “Muslim Day” at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
- In January 2021, the GIOR reported that a coalition of US Muslim advocacy groups tied to the US Muslim Brotherhood and headed by CAIR – Texas had hosted the bi-annual “Texas Muslim Capitol Day.”
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