Articles by Rowaida Abdelaziz

Banks & Banking

Lawmakers call out major U.S. banks for discriminating against Muslim Americans Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ilhan Omar are demanding answers about policies that target communities of color.

February 22, 2024   

(HuffPost) Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) released a letter Thursday demanding answers from the heads of several leading U.S. banks about policies that have disproportionately targeted Muslim Americans and communities of color. “The lack of information regarding the […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

On the first day of Ramadan, Ilhan Omar introduces bill to condemn anti-Muslim hate The bill, first seen by HuffPost, honored the 51 Muslims killed in the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.

March 22, 2023   

(HuffPost) Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is introducing a resolution on Thursday commemorating the anniversary of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, where 51 Muslims were killed in 2019, and condemning the rise of Islamophobia around the world. The bill, first seen […]

Academics & Education

New House Homeland Security Committee chair has history of anti-Muslim comments During a 2016 tea party meeting, Mark Green told an audience that he didn’t want public school students in Tennessee to learn about the Islamic faith.

January 12, 2023   

(HuffPost) Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) is set to lead the House Committee on Homeland Security, which Muslim civil rights groups say is alarming because he has a history of making Islamophobic remarks. Green — a physician, Iraq War veteran and former GOP […]

Government & Politics

American Muslims in the midterms aren’t long-shot candidates anymore In 2018, a Muslim blue wave emerged in response to Trump. Four years later, many Muslim American candidates are prepping for long careers.

October 29, 2022   

(HuffPost) Abdelnasser Rashid was one of the dozens of American Muslims who ran for office in 2018. It was dubbed the Muslim blue wave, where more than 90 American Muslims ran for office up and down the ballot, emboldened to push back […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Muslim groups are alarmed by new CNN boss’ first big hire John Miller resigned from the NYPD after lying about its Muslim surveillance program. Now he’s covering law enforcement for CNN.

September 7, 2022   

(HuffPost) CNN has hired John Miller, a former New York City Police Department official who lied about the department’s history of surveilling Muslims, to be its chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst — a move that has alarmed civil rights leaders and […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Ilhan Omar urges creation of special envoy role to combat global anti-Muslim hate 'We are seeing a rise in Islamophobia in nearly every corner of the globe,' the Democratic representative said.

October 21, 2021   

(HuffPost) The federal government would have a dedicated, high-ranking official monitoring Islamophobic incidents worldwide under a new bill being introduced Thursday by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). The special envoy for monitoring and combatting Islamophobia, which would be embedded […]

Gender Separation

Muslim women renew calls for more inclusive programs as mosques reopen As the coronavirus pandemic offers time to step back, Muslim Americans rethink how mosques can be more welcoming to women and adapt financially.

June 12, 2020   

(HuffPost) As the coronavirus outbreak spread, mosques, like many houses of worship, were required to close their doors even during the holy month of Ramadan in compliance with statewide shutdowns. American Muslims across the country were forced to celebrate at home. With […]

Clothing

Muslim woman sues police in Yonkers, New York, for forced hijab removal In an exclusive interview with HuffPost, a Muslim woman talks about the trauma she faced after police confiscated and photographed her without her hijab.

April 8, 2020   

(HuffPost) When Yonkers, New York, police demanded Ihsan Malkawi remove her hijab for her booking photograph, the 42-year-old Muslim woman became distraught. She tried through tears to explain to the officers that she wore her hijab for religious reasons and it was […]

Demographics

Getting an accurate census count is vital. First, Muslim Americans need to trust it’s safe While the U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect private information, it’s not unreasonable that Muslim Americans would be concerned.

April 1, 2020   

(HuffPost) Like many Muslim Americans, Hidaya Assaf, a 27-year-old mother of two, was initially skeptical of the census. She’s Palestinian American, and many of her friends on Facebook were discussing whether it was worth filling out the 2020 survey. She could understand […]

Government & Politics

Bernie Sanders’ next-level outreach gives Muslims solid footing in presidential politics Candidates on both sides of the aisle have rarely formalized their attempts to draw in Muslims. Sanders has succeeded and lifted up an often-overlooked voter base.

March 4, 2020   

(HuffPost) Super Tuesday saw former Vice President Joe Biden leap ahead in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) got knocked out of the lead. Despite the losses, the Sanders campaign has advanced how presidential candidates have […]

Government & Politics

Bernie Sanders endorsed by Muslim group, Iowa’s sole Muslim state lawmaker The senator from Vermont has been a top contender among Muslim American voters in the Democratic presidential contest.

January 31, 2020   

(HuffPost) The national board of the Muslim Caucus of America as well [as] Iowa state Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad announced their endorsements of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the 2020 presidential election. “What you have here is an individual who stands up for […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

More presidential candidates are visiting mosques than ever before Prior to the 2020 election, presidential candidates rarely — if ever — visited a mosque on the campaign trail. But that’s changing.

August 1, 2019   

(HuffPost) The day before he appeared onstage at Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visited the Islamic Center of Detroit to discuss the concerns of Muslim Americans. The roundtable, attended by imams, activists, nonprofit leaders and other community members, lasted […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

It’s 2019 and Democratic presidential candidates are ignoring Muslim voters Muslim organizers say the candidates’ lack of interest in an upcoming gathering reflects a much larger apathy toward their community.

July 19, 2019   

(HuffPost) The president of the United States stood tall and proud at his North Carolina rally as the crowd chanted loudly for him to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women in Congress. Just days before, Donald Trump had […]