The Muslim Civic Coalition, also called the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, is a left-of-center, pro-Palestinian nonprofit that unites a broad network of Muslim charities and nonprofits to promote left-of-center initiatives related to election law, race and diversity, and other left-of-center social issues. ¹

The Muslim Civic Coalition also has a federal 501(c)(4) political action wing called Muslim Civic Coalition–Activate that participates in political activism and lobbying, most notably in 2024 when it called for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election over his “support for the Gaza genocide.” ^{2 3}

Initiatives

The Muslim Civic Coalition has six major initiatives. The first is an advocacy and policy campaign through which it engages in community outreach to advance left-of-center policies, such as the Waddee Resolution, a bill to protect Muslims from hate crimes following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. ^{4 5}

The second campaign is the voter strategy initiative to enact left-of-center election law reforms and to encourage Muslims in Illinois to register to vote. ⁶ The Coalition’s third initiative is census and redistricting reform to ensure Muslims are counted accurately in the state of Illinois and around the country. ⁷ Fourth, the Muslim Civic Coalition encourages its members to engage with public officials to establish a statewide network of left-of-center politicians. ⁸

The Coalition’s fifth campaign is its Public Leaders for Inclusion Fellowship, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) oriented leadership fellowship to train young professionals in left-wing race theory. ⁹ The final initiative is the Illinois Muslims Report, the Coalition’s attempt to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Illinois Muslim community which was included in an official study at the University of Chicago. ^{10 11}

Political Action

Muslim Civic Coalition–Activate, the 501(c)(4) political action arm of the Muslim Civic Coalition, has influenced Illinois and federal politics. Before calling for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race over his support for the supposed “Gaza genocide,” the Muslim Civic Coalition–Activate met with President Biden and other Muslim political organizations to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict. Coalition-Active also called on voters to write “Gaza” in their primary ballots or to leave them blank in protest of the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. ^{3 12}

Muslim Civic Coalition–Activate also celebrates a group of lawmakers that it calls “the Squad+,” including U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and other pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel members of Congress. Coalition–Activate says this group calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and fights to “defeat special interests and AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee].” ²

In April 2022, the Muslim Civic Coalition–Activate hosted a community workshop for the Illinois Department of Human Services on “Antiracism 101” to promote left-wing critical race theories. ¹³

Partners and Allies

The Muslim Civic Coalition’s national partners include the Pillars Fund, the Zakat Foundation, the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, and the Muslim Legal Fund of America. Its regional partners include the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago and the Georgia Muslim Voter Project. ¹⁴

The Muslim Civic Coalition’s allies include Just Democracy, Bank of America, Planned Parenthood, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow, among other left-wing, pro-Palestinian groups. ¹⁴

Leadership

Reema Kamran is a co-founder of the Muslim Civic Coalition. ¹⁵ She currently serves as the Coalition’s board treasurer and is listed on its federal tax filings as the organization’s executive director. ¹⁶ Before co-founding the Muslim Civic Coalition, Kamran co-founded R & R strategists, a non-profit consulting company, in 2008. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College in marketing and economics. ¹⁵

Dr. Dilara Sayeed serves as the President of the Muslim Civic Coalition. In 2021, Sayeed was appointed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) to the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes (CDHC) where she serves as the Co-Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee. She also has served on the transition team for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), as well as advisory councils for former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D). ¹⁷ She has a doctorate degree in education policy and leadership from Harvard University. ¹⁸

Finances

In 2021, the Muslim Civic Coalition reported $373,604 in revenue, $471,327 in expenses, and $165,253 in net assets. ¹⁶

A prominent sponsor of the Muslim Civic Coalition is the Zakat Foundation, a global Islamic charitable organization based in Bridgeview, Illinois, that offers aid to impoverished communities around the world. ^{19 20} Although it has denied any connections to terrorism, several of Zakat’s partner organizations and donor recipients have been linked to terrorist groups, including Hamas and Al-Qaeda. ^{21 22} In 2020, the Zakat Foundation donated $15,000 to the Muslim Civic Coalition; Zakat also granted the Coalition $10,000 in 2021. ^{23 24}

The Muslim Civic Coalition also receives funding from the Pillars Fund, a left-of-center Muslim grantmaking organization that provides grants to political organizations that oppose voter integrity laws, advocate for race-focused social and economic policies, and seek to extend voting rights to ex-felons, in addition to general funding for the arts and sciences. ²⁵ In 2020, the Pillars Fund gave the Muslim Civic Coalition $20,273, as well as $30,000 in 2021, and $50,000 in 2022. ^{26 27 28}

1. Home. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024.  https://muslimciviccoalition.org/
2. Home. Muslim Civic Coalition–Activate. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.ilmuslimciviccoalition-activate.org/
3. “American Muslim groups call on Biden to withdraw from race over ‘US support for the Gaza genocide.’” Middle East Eye. June 30, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/american-muslim-groups-call-biden-withdraw-race-over-us-support-gaza
4. Advocacy & Policy. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024.  https://muslimciviccoalition.org/advocacy-policy
5. Our Bills and Laws. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/ourbills
6. Coalition Voter Strategy. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/voter-strategy
7. Census Stories. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/censuscustomize
8. Engage & Impact. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/engageimpact
9. Building Civic Leadership Capacity. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/buildingcivicleadership
10. Illinois Muslims Report. MuslimCivic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/illinois-muslims-report
11. Alpasan, Eunice. “New Study Looks into Strengths, Needs of Muslims in Illinois.” WTTW. April 18, 2022. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://news.wttw.com /2022/08/18/new-study-looks-strengths-needs-muslims-illinois
12. Gangitano, Alex. “White House officials meeting with Arab, Muslim leaders in Chicago ahead of Illinois primary.” The Hill. March 14, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4531527-white-house-officials-meeting-with-arab-muslim-leaders-in-chicago-ahead-of-illinois-primary/
13. 04/22: IL Muslim Civic Coalition- Community Workshops towards Civic Justice! Illinois Department of Human Services. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=134683
14. Partners and Allies. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/partners-allies
15. Reema Bio. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/reema-bio
16. IL Muslim Civic Coalition – 2022 990. ProPublica. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/832647003/202333199349321203/full
17. Dilara Bio. Muslim Civic Coalition. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://muslimciviccoalition.org/dilara-bio
18.  Education | Dilara Sayeed. LinkedIn. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dilarasayeed/details/education/
19. Our Work. Zakat Foundation. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.zakat.org/our-work
20. Contact Us. Zakat Foundation. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.zakat.org/contact-us
21. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Hamas-tied charities under congressional investigation following terror attacks in Israel” Washington Examiner. November 15, 2023. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2580934/hamas-tied-charities- under-congressional-investigation-following-terror-attacks-in-israel-2/
22. Shankar, Abha and Lee, Marth, “Investigation Exposes Terror Ties Behind Islamist Charity’s Humanitarian Facade.” Middle East Forum. April 6, 2020. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.meforum.org/60664/investigation-exposes-terror-ties-of-islamist- charity
23. Zakat Foundation Of America – 2020 990. ProPublica. Accessed July 8, 2024.  https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364476244/202221299349302857/full
24. Zakat Foundation Of America – 2021 990. ProPublica. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364476244/202310169349300941/full
25. “Our-Portfolio – 2022” Pillars. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://pillarsfund.org/grants/our-portfolio/
26. Pillars Fund – 2020 990. ProPublica. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/810983087/202131969349302263/full
27. Pillars Fund – 2021 990. ProPublica. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/810983087/202232379349300518/full
28. Pillars Fund – 2022 990. ProPublica. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/810983087/202313079349300346/full