A beloved community leader, Salah Sarsour, was abducted by ICE on Monday, March 30th. Salah serves as the President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee (ISM) and has been a community advocate for over three decades. He is a father, a grandfather, a dear husband, and a kind and principled role model for countless people in Milwaukee and beyond.
As American Muslims and allies across communities who believe in justice and equal rights for all people, we condemn this abduction and the violation of our community leader’s rights. Salah has been a lawful permanent resident in the United States for over 32 years. He is a pillar of the community, and a law-abiding Milwaukee business owner. Yet, he was pulled over while driving by over 10 ICE agents with no cause. He was taken out of state to a detention facility in Chicago before being transferred to a detention center in Indiana. His family was left scrambling to determine his whereabouts and his condition.
We must be clear that Salah is being targeted on the basis of his Palestinian and Muslim background. Salah grew up in the Occupied West Bank in Palestine, where he faced oppression and torture at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces as a child. After marriage, he moved to the United States and built a strong and loving family. Along the way, he has supported dozens of community members, hiring countless Milwaukeeans who needed a job, and building up advocacy and educational organizations to bring greater voice to immigrants, Palestinians, and Muslims across Wisconsin and the country.
Salah’s story represents precisely the immigrant-refugee success story that should be celebrated, not demonized, as the cornerstone of this country’s professed values. Structural racism against Palestinians and Muslims, especially immigrants, weakens our democracy and erodes human rights for all. DHS targeting a community leader like Salah must raise alarms for all of us. His detention reflects a troubling trend we’ve seen with Mahmoud Khalil, Leqaa Kordia, Mohsen Mahdawi and other voices critical of Israeli oppression: this administration is weaponizing the U.S. justice system to advance the interests of a foreign state, Israel, at a time when it is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Recognizing that it has lost American public opinion, the Israeli lobby is now leveraging the justice system to undermine our constitutional rights and suppress dissent. Salah’s arrest also reflects deeper threats to our democracy from an administration that disregards American values and treats constitutional and legal limits as optional. We stand against this coordinated attempt to wield U.S. immigration courts to silence Palestinian voices and advance a racist anti-Muslim agenda.
We write to affirm that we will fight for him. We will fight for his release just as we have fought as a community against all attacks on immigrant, Black, Palestinian, Somali, Latino and Muslim civil and human rights. We understand what it feels like to be othered, racialized, and exceptionalized as victims of state violence, and we refuse to let go of our rights and our values. We invite you to stand with us and stand with Salah Sarsour. This injustice has become too common across this country. The baseless allegations leveled against Salah are nothing more than a smokescreen to justify his detention and silence his advocacy. However, we know this fight for Salah is part of a larger trend: leveraging attacks on immigrants and on Palestinians particularly to build new precedents that whittle away at democratic norms and legal protections for everyone. That is why this fight is a fight for all of us.
Join us in taking action: Contribute to the fund to advocate for Br. Salah Sarsour.
Share your stories or a memory of what Br. Salah means to you. Share on social media as well using the hashtag #FreeSalahSarsour.
With hope,ISM - The Islamic Society of Milwaukee
MLFA - Muslim Legal Fund of America
AMP - American Muslims for Palestine
USCMO - US Council of Muslim Organizations
CAIR - Council on American-Islamic Relations
MAS - Muslim American Society
Islamophobia Studies Center
Palestine Center for Public Policy
Islamophobia Studies Journal
Northern California Islamic Counci
National Organizations ACGG (American Coalition For Good Government)
Adalah Justice Project
Al-Awda PRRC
American Center for Justice
American Friends Service Committee
American Muslim Community Foundation
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
AMWRRI - Arab and Muslim Women's Research and Resource Institute
Anti-War Action Network (AWAN)
Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC)
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
CAIR Action
Catholics for Peace and Justice
codepink
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
Democratic Socialists of America
Doctors Against Genocide
Education Scholars 4 Palestine
Faith Power Alliance
Fight for the Future
Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Friends of Swazi Freedom
Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project
Islamic Circle of North America
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace Academic Council
Justice4Palestine - Actions Enablement Network (J4P)
Labor for Palestine National Network
MSA National - Muslim Students Association of the US & Canada
Muslim Civic Coalition
Muslim Justice League
Muslims for Just Futures
Muslims for Liberty
Never Again Action
Palestine Foundation Inc.
Palestine Legal
Palestinian Feminist Collective
Rohingya American Society (RAS)
Sound physicians
Students for Justice in Palestine
Tamkeen
Tariq el Tahrir Youth and Student network
Taxpayers Against Genocide
Tunisian United Network
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action
Regional / State Organizations
AFSCME Local 526
All In Wisconsin
AMP Cleveland
AMP Columbus
AMP MO
Anti-War Committee DMV
Arab American Civic Council
Baladna: Palestine Society of Columbus
Black Alliance for Peace - Midwest
Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC)
Black Lives Matter Paterson
Brooklyn Against War
Building Unity
Burlington Friends Meeting, Burlington VT
Burmese Rohingya Community of Wisconsin
Ceasefire Now NJ
Chavurat Tziporah
Cleveland Palestine Advocacy Community
Comite sin fronteras Wisconsin
Communist Party of Wisconsin, CPUSA
Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
Dayton Anti-War Group
Detroit Anti-War Committee
DFW Anti War Committee
Diasporist Jews at UW-Milwaukee
Echo Valley Hope
Elbit Out Of SC
Family Farm Defenders
Fox Valley Islamic Society
Franklin Resists
Frederick For Justice In Palestine
Friends of Josh Maglasang
Germantown Community Coalition
Greater Milwaukee Green Party
Green Bay Anti-War Committee
Hamzah Islamic Center
Hanul Family Alliance
Hate Free Outagamie
Healthcare Workers for Palestine - Milwaukee
Horizon theatre rep
ICE Out West Allis
ICNA Council for Social Justice
Indivisible MKE
Indivisible South Shore
Interfaith Peace Working Group
Islamic Center of Detroit
Islamic Center of Irving
Islamic Center of San Diego
Islamic Center of Wheaton
Islamic Center of Wisconsin
Islamic Society of the Seacoast Area, NH, Portsmouth Mosque
Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network
Jewish Voice for Peace - Madison
Jewish Voice for Peace - Milwaukee
Jewish Voice for Peace Dallas Fort Worth
JOSHUA
Kurdish Community Islamic Center
Labor-Community Alliance of South Florida (LCA)
Madison Dharma Action for Nonviolence and Awareness
Madison Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
Majlis Ash-Shura of New York - ILCNY (Islamic Leadership Council of New York)
Mennonite Action Madison
Mideast: Just Peace
Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Milwaukee Anti-war Committee
Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Milwaukee For Yemen
Milwaukee Friends Meeting
Milwaukee friends meeting, Peace and Justice Committee
Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center
Milwaukee Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Milwaukee Real Estate Collective
Milwaukee School of Engineering Young Democratic Socialists of America
Milwaukee Solidarity
Milwaukee Turners at Turner Hall
Minnesota Christians for a Free Palestine
Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee
MN Anti War Committee
MN BDS Community
MN People's Coalition Against Trump
Moratorium NOW! Coalition
MTA Rank and File for Palestine
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Brooklyn
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Central Florida
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Central New Jersey
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Colorado
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Columbus
Muslim American Society (MAS) - DC
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Greater LA
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Maryland
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Milwaukee
Muslim American Society (MAS) - New York
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Portland
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Sheepshead Bay
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Tampa
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Tarbiyah Center
Muslim American Society (MAS) - Youth Center
Muslim Federation of New Jersey (MFNJ)
Muslim Women’s Coalition
Never Again Action Wisconsin
Nidal Seattle
No Appetite for Apartheid Madison
Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition
Oasis Chicago
Ohio divest coalition
Oregon Community Peace Fund
Oshkosh Mosque
Our Wisconsin Revolution
PAGE - People Advocating for Greendale Equity
PAL-Awda NY/NJ
Palestine Partners
Party for Socialism & Liberation--Milwaukee
Peace Action Wisconsin
Portland for Palestine
People Advocating for Greendale Equity (PAGE)
Prophet Muhammad (s) Center
Quinobequin Student Front for Liberation (Boston)
Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice
Rep. Angelito Tenorio
Reproductive justice action Milwaukee
San Jose Against War
Seattle Against War
SE WI Indivisible
Showing Up For Racial Justice - Milwaukee
Southwest Coalition for Palestine
Students For a Democratic Society - University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Students for Justice in Palestine UMN TC
Supply and Demand for MKE Resistance
Swing Left Milwaukee
Tawhid Community Center
Temple Law Students for Justice in Palestine
Trans Intergenerational Mutual Aid Project
Tucson Anti-War Committee
Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America
UNT Students for Justice in Palestine Faculty & Staff Group
UW-Madison Faculty and Staff for Palestinian Liberation
V'ahavtah: A Judaism Beyond Zionism Synagogue
Veterans for Peace - Milwaukee Chapter 102
WI Assembly District 18
WI Bail Out the People Movement
WI Nonviolent Medicaid Army
Wisconsin Christians for Justice in Palestine
Wisconsin Labor For Palestine
Wisconsin Legislative Socialist Caucus
Wisconsin Muslim civic alliance
Wisconsin Muslim Civic Foundation
Wisconsin Poor People's Campaign
Wisconsin Resist
Wolfpack Beyond War (Madison College)
Women Against Military Madness
YUSRA
