Press Center

We at the Association of Muslim American Lawyers (“AMAL”) are shell-shocked by the sudden loss of the Honorable Sheila E. Abdus-Salaam on April 12, 2017. Judge Abdus-Salam was the first in many categories—most notably the first African American female, and first Muslim, Judge to sit on New York State’s highest court. Read More...

The Association of Muslim American Lawyers (“AMAL”) is disappointed with the process by which Mayor de Blasio’s has appointed Stephen Robinson to serve as the Civilian Representative to the NYPD’s reconstituted “Handschu Committee.” In a meeting we held with his team and a follow-up letter attached we expressed the importance to consult with the community on the appointment. The post of “civilian representative” is critical in that it was created to restore public confidence in the NYPD’s intelligence gathering practices.  Specifically, the Civilian Representative is tasked with overseeing the NYPD’s intelligence investigations, and ensuring compliance with the landmark Handschu v. Special Services DivisionConsent Decree (as recently modified by Raza, et al., v. City of New York), which restricts abusive, discriminatory, and unconstitutional surveillance by the NYPD.  Despite the de Blasio Administration’s promises, the appointment of Mr. Robinson was done with neither the advice, nor the consent, nor the consultation of the New York City Muslim Community (the community victimized by the NYPD’s illegal practices).  While AMAL recognizes Mr. Robinson’s outstanding professional accomplishments, we have no assurance or confidence that this “blind” appointment will help address the very issues that gave rise to the Raza, et al., v. City of New York lawsuit in the first place.

The Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL) extends its deepest sympathies to Nazma Khanam’s family for their tragic loss in what can be described as her horrific and barbarous murder, last night at 9:15 pm on Normal Road in Jamaica, New York. Ms. Khanam, who is a Queens resident, and the 60-year old aunt of an NYPD transit officer, was stabbed to death, while walking home carrying groceries. Her husband told authorities that he found his wife with the knife still in her chest. Ms. Khanam was wearing Islamic hijab or head covering, when she was stabbed to death. Khanam's murder comes less than a month after a double homicide in Queens left an Imam and his assistant dead. Read More: AMAL Press Release

The Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL) is devastated by the murder of Ozone Park religious leaders, Imam Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin. Shockingly, the murders took place on August 13 at about 1:50 pm in broad daylight as both men, dressed in traditional Islamic garb, were gunned down just one block from the Al-Furqan Jame Mosque, where the two victims prayed only minutes earlier. Violence and crimes like the ones against Imam Maulama Akonjee and Thara Uddin are not isolated occurrences – but rather, they are regular happenings, occurring in an atmosphere of bigotry and divisive rhetoric by public officials and figures. Many Muslims are concerned that this reality, their reality, is not being heard. Read More: AMAL Press Release on Hate Crime