11/16/2016 AIFD Statement on the Election of Donald J. Trump to the Presidency of the United States of America
Phoenix, AZ, (November 16, 2016) Last week, Americans flocked to the polls to exercise our hard-won right to vote in free and fair elections. The resulting election of Donald J. Trump has resulted in a vigorous national discussion about some of the most sensitive and significant issues facing Americans today.
As a non-partisan organization and an American nonprofit organization, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy doesn’t endorse candidates. We work to educate the public about the issues important to Muslims devoted to reform, universal human rights, and individual liberty. Our staff and members include conservatives, liberals, and every group in between. Our shared values unite us – and it is in this spirit of unity that we have remained committed to advancing our mission regardless of the political climate we find ourselves in.
Throughout the presidential campaign, members of our organization were critical of both Secretary Clinton and President-elect Trump’s approaches to some of our issues of reform, liberty and the defeat of Islamism at home and abroad. Indeed, we have been critical of politicians from both sides of the aisle since our founding. As always, regardless of who or which party wins we will help our nation and our mission move forward. We will continue to speak and act in accordance with our values.
We will encourage the coming administration to engage reformist and liberty-minded Muslims rather than Islamists at home and abroad, just as we currently do. We will hold the new administration accountable just as we have with President Obama and did with President Bush. Every new administration is a possibility to engage the American public in new ways, and we will remain steadfast in our dedication to doing all we can to preserve and protect the values of liberty, freedom, and universal human rights.
As American Muslims, we are particularly sensitive to the fact that many of us have family and loved ones in places where free and fair elections are not yet a reality. We are proud and blessed to live in a country where women and men, and people of all faiths, belief systems, sexual orientations and identities can vote – and can do so without fear. We are grateful for our freedoms and for the opportunity to protect them through conducting our work with conviction and integrity.
About AIFD
The American Islamic Forum for Democracy is a think tank dedicated to providing an American Muslim voice advocating genuine Muslim reform against Islamism and the ideologies which fuel global Muslim radicalization. AIFD’s mission is to advocate for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state. This mission is derived from a love for America and a love of our faith of Islam. AIFD believes that Muslims can better practice Islam in an environment that protects the rights of an individual to practice their faith as they choose.M Zuhdi Jasser, REFORM THIS! Podcast host for The Blaze Radio Network, President American Islamic Forum for Democracy, co-founder Muslim Reform Movement, former US Navy Lieutenant Commander, and author of “A Battle for the Soul of Islam”
About Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser is the president and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a think tank dedicated to protecting American national security against the global threat of Islamism. AIFD promotes reform-minded Muslim voices for liberty, and is shaking the hold which Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood have upon Muslim leadership. Dr. Jasser is the author of “A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save His Faith.” He is also a Co-Founder of the Muslim Reform Movement. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser is the host of “Reform This!” on the Blaze Radio Network.
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