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November 11, 2022
Bay Area Cities Adopt Resolution Denouncing Islamophobia
On Thursday, November 10, 2022, the Cities Association of Santa Clara County adopted a landmark resolution Denouncing Islamophobia that the team at Islamic Networks Group (ING) helped to draft. The resolution was introduced by San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and acknowledges the contributions of Muslim Americans in the Bay Area and across the nation. It focuses on countering individual and institutional forms of Islamophobia or “anti-Muslim racism,” including in our cities, neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and government. The document concludes with the following statement:
“Now Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Cities Association of Santa Clara County stands in solidarity with its Muslim communities, upholding their safety and rights, and condemns any bigotry, bias, or acts of violence against them, especially acts that are predicated on religious intolerance. We are committed to fighting ignorance with education, to meeting inaction with action, creating safe spaces for fostering understanding, and implementing policies promoting cultural competency, awareness and appreciation of Islam and our Muslim communities.”
We encourage other cities to adopt the same resolution for all of the reasons we state in the resolution. You can read the entire text and the original resolution submitted by ING here.
This resolution follows a series of Islamophobic comments that were made by elected government officials at a San Jose City Council meeting on June 7, 2022. In response to those comments, ING’s Founder Maha Elgenaidi drafted an editorial on “Is the City of San Jose Islamophobic?,” which you can read here. On June 23, 2022, Maha was then invited to speak on Islamophobia by Monte Sereno Mayor Javed Ellahie to mayors at a Cities Association of Santa Clara County meeting. And on August 26, 2022, ING delivered a diversity training seminar to San Jose City officials and staff on “Islamophobia and Its Impact on Muslims, Sikhs, and other Americans.”
The passing of this resolution was made possible due to the concerted efforts of ING working in partnership with the City of San Jose and the Cities Association of Santa Clara County, who we commend for responding to Islamophobia through education and engagement with the Muslim community and the adoption of this historic resolution. We hope that this will continue a trend of cities, counties, and states adopting similar resolutions to counter Islamophobia and all forms of racism and bigotry.
Upcoming ING Events
ING has a number of events scheduled this fall, including diversity training seminars with law enforcement and corporate staff, a presentation on “Getting to Know Muslim Americans and Their Faith,” a presentation on “Islamophobia and Its Impact in the US and World,” an interfaith workshop, an interfaith panel on “Beyond Fear—Towards Resilience,” and an interfaith panel on “Living the Faith.” Visit ING’s events page to learn more about all of our upcoming seminars, presentations, panels, and workshops.
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