By Zoha Qader '17
On April 24th, Notre Dame’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) traveled to Sacramento to take part in the state-wide event, Muslim Day at the Capitol. The 6th annual event was attended by more than 600 participants from all over California. The delegation had the chance to voice their support for various legislative bills by talking to their state legislators.
Muslim Day at the Capitol is an annual gathering of Muslims to meet state legislators and discuss community issues. Participants can sign up with no previous knowledge of lobbying or of the bills. The organization holds trainings the weeks prior to the event so people feel informed and ready. The event is hosted by CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which strives to advocate for justice, enhance the understanding of Islam, and protect civil liberties.
This year, they focused on four legislative bills they believe are of importance to their community. The first one is SB 31, or the California Religious Freedom Act. This bill would keep federal programs from creating databases or collect information based on a person’s religious beliefs, national origin, or ethnicity. The next one is SB 54 which is the California Values Act. It focuses on keeping public schools, state health facilities, and courthouses safe and accessible to all California residents. AB 158, or the Hate Crime Reporting Standards, strives to make sure there is a uniform method of reporting hate crimes. The last bill was AB 1318, or the Safe Place to Learn Act, which makes sure that educational agencies have the resources needed to support students who may face bullying or bias. Last year, three of the four bills that were lobbied for during Muslim Day at the Capitol were passed. This year they hope that the voices of the Muslim community are once again acknowledged so the bills can pass.
This was the first year that the Notre Dame MSA students went to Muslim Day at the Capitol. The group was able to lobby for the legislative bills and listen to distinguished speakers. They enjoyed being able to see how much support they were getting from lawmakers and the public. Sabreen Abdelrahman ’17, co-founder of MSA, believes that, “With the current administration we now have in the White House, it was more imperative than ever to participate in MDAC and help make our voices heard to show that we cannot and will not stand idle as our government continues to disrespect and discriminate against the Muslim community here in the U.S. and all over the globe.”
The MSA hopes to have a Notre Dame delegation at every future Muslim Day at the Capitol. They want more people to be able to practice advocating for the issues they are passionate about or that affect their local community. By participating in the event, they learned the importance of voicing their opinions, even when it seems unlikely that they will bring about change.