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American Muslim Civil Rights Center

Location:

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Founder:

Lori Saroya

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The American Muslim Civil Rights Center is a left-leaning policy and advocacy organization founded in 2021 and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The organization was created by Lori Saroya, an Islamic civil rights activist who previously sat on the board of the national and worked as an employee for the Minnesota affiliate of left-leaning advocacy group Council American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) until she had a falling out with the organization that led to CAIR suing her for defamation in 2021, a suit which she answered documenting alleged instances of corruption and sexual harassment at CAIR. While American Muslim Civil Rights Center has relatively little information available about the organization, Saroya claims the organization will form an affiliated American Muslim Civil Rights Museum. 1 2

The organization is part of the Fix Our Senate coalition of left-of-center groups calling on Senate Democrats to pass Democratic-backed voting legislation by eliminating the Senate filibuster. 3

Background

The American Muslim Civil Rights Center was formed in 2021 by Lori Saroya, a diversity consultant, attorney, and left-of-center activist who previously had been a board member for the Council American-Islamic Relations. Saroya founded the organization in 2021 around the time she became embroiled in a legal battle with CAIR, which filed a defamation suit against her. Saroya calls the center the nation’s first Muslim civil rights memorial and museum and has also reserved a trademark for the name “American Muslim Civil Rights Museum.” 4 5 6

As of early 2022, the organization does not appear to have a website and does not have any data on file with the Internal Revenue Service but was registered in the State of Minnesota in November 2020. 7 Saroya’s personal website states that the organization will host guest speakers among other programming related to Muslim civil rights issues and plans to host a program called the Empathy and Education Project. 8

Policy Stances

While the American Muslim Civil Rights Center does not appear to have a website or any other publicly available public policy positions, the organization is a part of a coalition organized by left-of-center advocacy group Fix Our Senate which has urged the U.S. Senate to eliminate its filibuster rule in order to pass Democratic-backed voting legislation such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and H.R. 1 For the People Act, as well as a $15 minimum wage in the 117th congress. Other left-of-center organizations that have signed letters urging the elimination of the filibuster alongside the organization include Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Demos, Climate Hawks Vote, and the League of Conservation Voters. 9 10

Lori Saroya

The American Muslim Civil Rights Center was founded by Lori Saroya. Saroya was previously the founder and executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations’ Minnesota Chapter and from 2016 to 2018 was a board member for the national CAIR. In 2018 she resigned as a board member of CAIR and in 2021 was sued for defamation by CAIR. In her answer to the lawsuit, Saroya alleged a culture of corruption, sexual harassment, and “hush money” payments within CAIR and its affiliated chapters. CAIR dropped the lawsuit in January 2022 before it would have been obligated to reveal more information about its operations via the discovery process. Saroya is also a former fellow for the left-of-center Minnesota-based Bush Foundation. 11 12 13 14

References

  1. Markay, Lachlan. “Leading Muslim civil rights group sues former board member for defamation.” Yahoo News. September 1, 2021. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.yahoo.com/now/leading-muslim-civil-rights-group-211526913.html
  2.  “Home.” Lori Saroya. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.lorisaroya.com/
  3. 60 Organizations to Senate Democrats: Filibuster Didn’t Block Debt Limit Extension, Cannot Block Voting Rights.” Fix Our Senate. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.fixoursenate.org/press/60-organizations-to-senate-democrats-filibuster-didnt-block-debt-limit-extension-cannot-block-voting-rights-legislation
  4. “American Muslim Civil Rights Center.” Minnesota Secretary of State. Accessed January 13, 2022.  https://mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us/Business/SearchDetails?filingGuid=5634756f-4233-eb11-91a6-00155d32b905
  5. “Home.” Lori Saroya. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.lorisaroya.com/
  6. Markay, Lachlan. “Leading Muslim civil rights group sues former board member for defamation.” Yahoo News. September 1, 2021. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.yahoo.com/now/leading-muslim-civil-rights-group-211526913.html
  7. “American Muslim Civil Rights Museum.” Minnesota Secretary of State. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us/Business/SearchDetails?filingGuid=c2a18258-7a23-eb11-91a5-00155d32b905 
  8. “Home.” Lori Saroya. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.lorisaroya.com/
  9. “60 Organizations to Senate Democrats: Filibuster Didn’t Block Debt Limit Extension, Cannot Block Voting Rights.” Fix Our Senate. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.fixoursenate.org/press/60-organizations-to-senate-democrats-filibuster-didnt-block-debt-limit-extension-cannot-block-voting-rights-legislation
  10. “140 Organization Partners.” March on for Voting Rights. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://marchonforvotingrights.org/140-org-partners/
  11. “Lori Saroya.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaroya/
  12. Markay, Lachlan. “Leading Muslim civil rights group sues former board member for defamation.” Yahoo News. September 1, 2021. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.yahoo.com/now/leading-muslim-civil-rights-group-211526913.html
  13. Emerson, Steve. “Sued by CAIR, Ex-Employee Releases Evidence of Discrimination and Hush Money Payouts.” The Algemeiner. June 29 2021. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/06/29/sued-by-cair-ex-employee-releases-evidence-of-discrimination-and-hush-money-payouts/
  14. Emerson, Steve. “Anti-Israel Muslim Group Drops Lawsuit Against Whistleblower.” The Algemeiner. January 13, 2022. Accessed January 13, 2022.  https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/anti-israel-muslim-group-drops-lawsuit-against-whistleblower/
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