As’salaam Alaikum (peace be upon you):

We at MAPS are united with our Asian-American brothers and sisters in this moment of pain and grief. We are sickened by the horrifying massacre in Georgia earlier this week. Our hearts mourn the eight victims of the Atlanta spa shooting, at least six of whom were Asian women. We send prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed. Hateful attacks against those of Asian descent are attacks against ALL of us. None of us are safe when any of us face violence like that in Atlanta, or those targeting Asian elders in the Bay Area, or the anti-Asian attacks in our own backyard in Washington.
We deplore the spike in anti-Asian hate incidents – overwhelmingly against women – and the alarming 150 percent increase in violence and harassment targeting our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) siblings since the start of the COVID pandemic. We condemn in the strongest terms the hateful anti-Asian rhetoric that has been peddled since COVID.

According to Pew Research, 13% of American Muslims trace their ancestry to the Asia/Pacific region (excluding South Asia). The American Muslim community in the Pacific Northwest is especially enriched by our members hailing from the Asia/Pacific region. We are all in this together.

I have reached out to our neighbors, the Chinese Evangelical Church (CEC), and offered our community’s support and assistance. CEC and several local Asian-American organizations have stood by MAPS when the American Muslim community faced attacks. MAPS-AMEN, our advocacy arm, has reached out to Asian-American organizations as well and offered our support, and is looking for ways to do more, because we are partners in this fight.

Individually and communally, we must all commit to doing our part to challenge racism, misogyny, and hate-based violence. The Quran and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) teach us: (a) there is no racial superiority, and racist beliefs reflect ignorance and arrogance that can keep one from entering Paradise; (b) the best of people are those who treat women well; and (c) when we see a wrong, we must stop it with our hands (taking action), our tongues (speaking out), or at the very least our hearts (hating it and praying for change), which is the weakest of faith.

To that end, we offer the following concrete actions and ways to speak out, in addition to prayer:

1. We call on Congress to pass H. Res. 151 condemning anti-Asian sentiment related to COVID-19. You can contact your members of Congress to ask that they support H. Res. 151.  
2. Organizations and mosques can sign on to this letter calling for a Community-Centered Response to Violence against Asian American Communities.
3. There is a Virtual Vigil & Healing Session tonight (Sat, Mar. 20) at 5:30pm. There are also upcoming “We Are Not Silent” rallies organized by the AAPI Coalition Against Hate and Bias and a Bystander Training on April 13 available here.
4. For further resources, visit Stop AAPI Hate or Anti-Asian Violence Resources.
5. Call your Asian American friends and offer them your support during this difficult time.

Bottom line, it is not only our civic duty but also a moral imperative that we work to build a society where everyone feels safe from violence, regardless of the color of our skin, the language we speak, the country we come from, or the religion we practice. We hope you do your part, as we at MAPS intend to do ours, insha’Allah (God-willing).

Thank you,
Hyder Ali
MAPS President