MJF Newsroom

Muslims for Just Futures’ Statement on Designations and its Implication on Movement Infrastructure

We condemn in the strongest terms the U.S. government’s expansion of sanctions against Palestinian human rights organizations. These politically motivated designations are a direct attack on movement infrastructure and the vital work of organizations committed to justice and human rights. By cutting off access to the global financial system, these sanctions choke nonprofits’ ability to operate, dragging countless groups into a punitive dragnet and threatening the survival of Palestinian-led organizing.

Where the Levees Broke and the Bombs Fell by Senior Organizing Fellow, Assata Dela Cruz

I was twelve years old when the War on Terror began, sitting in my seventh grade classroom having a snack as planes crashing continued to play on our little TV screen until an announcement came over the school intercom to turn it off and continue with our lessons.  I didn’t fully understand what was happening… how could I really?  But I could feel the shift in the air.  On September 12th, I watched my sisters and aunties remove their hijabs with trembling hands and tearful eyes.  At the time, I had been preparing to wear hijab myself with so much pride in stepping into a deeper expression of my faith and identity.  But that excitement was replaced by fear and the sound of glass shattering as the storefront my chosen family poured their labor and love into was vandalized with Islamophobic slurs that same week.  It was then that I realized not only was our family business a target, so were we.  To be visibly Muslims was to be marked and not even being a child could protect me from being perceived as a threat.

We remain in solidarity with K20 and frontline communities. Militarism, fossil fuel extraction, racism, colonialism, and ecocide converge to destroy ecosystems and frontline communities, turning disasters into opportunities for profiteering and control. From Katrina in the Gulf South to the Global South, we see how war, militarism, racism, and ecocide are destroying frontline communities, and why our solidarity, faith, and movements must build another future.

As we mark the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration—a period already marked by heightened repression and systemic targeting of student movements—MJF is releasing a new resource: “A Primer for Student Organizers on Building a Legal Support Network.” In recent weeks, student organizers and faculty across the country have reached out to highlight that the existing legal infrastructure is stretched thin, and in some cases, absent entirely. In response, MJF’s Legal Network has developed this guide to help student organizers build legal infrastructure.  We recognize the critical need for tools that not only address current threats but also build long-term infrastructure.

This guide breaks down Material Support for Terrorism (MST) laws, Executive Order 14157 and includes their impact on social movement groups. It includes key terminology, legal analysis, case studies, and recommendations to help activists, organizers, and lawyers navigate these threats.

This page will focus on tracking MJF’s advocacy, movement-building, and organizing efforts to protect Sanctuary status. We will offer guidance on new policies and MJF’s efforts to protect Sanctuary.