Statements

Mission

The American Muslim Advisory Council's mission is to foster mutual trust and respect among all people through civic engagement, community building and media relations in order to protect all Tennesseans from prejudice and targeted violence.

Background

For Muslims living in the Bible belt, the past decade has been challenging to say the least. 9/11 brought a spike in anti-Muslim sentiment, but it was not until 2008 that the Islamophobic networks really gained traction in Tennessee. From a newspaper article that asked the question, "Is Islam a Threat?" to churches that held lectures claiming the evils of Islam and even anti-sharia legislation being introduced in the state legislature, Muslims faced a barrage of hateful, Islamophobic attacks. The growing Tennessee Muslim community was woefully unprepared to counter these attacks and understood that they needed an organization to address their needs. Thus, in 2012, the American Muslim Advisory Council was established. The American Muslim Advisory Council understood that in order to change the narrative of Muslims in Tennessee, we needed to take a multi-layered approach to addressing the problem of the rise of Islamophobia in Tennessee. First of all, AMAC needed to build positive relations with local media outlets to promote positive news coverage of Muslim related issues and have Muslims speak for themselves. Secondly, AMAC needed to promote civic engagement in the Muslim community so that Muslims could be a positive force in the community. Thirdly, AMAC needed to reach out to law enforcement, and public and private agencies to better educate them on Islam and the needs of their Muslim constituents. Lastly, in order to bring a unified Muslim voice on important issues, AMAC needed to facilitate collaboration between mosques.

Impact

AMAC 2020 Impact Statement
2020 was a tumultuous year with a tornado, a pandemic, Black Lives Matters protests, and a contentious
election year, all while our community continued to face discrimination and attacks. But the American Muslim Advisory Council has been here all along, organizing our community to step in to help out after the tornado, educating our community about COVID-19 and where to get help, feeding our neighbors, demanding fair and equitable treatment of Muslims, challenging Islamophobia, facilitating discussions on racism, and bringing Muslims out to vote. AMAC is here on the ground empowering Tennessee Muslims. Here is what we accomplished in 2020.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
How do we make sure we are seen and heard by our elected officials? By being counted in the census and by voting. AMAC reached thousands of Muslim voters across Tennessee to keep them informed on important election information with our #Get Out the Muslim Vote campaign.
• Census Education- AMAC held workshops and webinars and share information on the 2020 Census
• Voter Registration Drives
• 4 Virtual Candidate Forums
• 2 Voter Education Webinars
• Text Reminders to vote - Nearly 5000 voters were
reached
• Muslim Vote Day on October 23 - AMAC encouraged community members to early vote reaching 800 voters.
• Rides to the Polls - Nearly 500 people were given free rides to the polls.
COVID-19 RESPONSE
Responding to the pandemic, we've organized our communities to distribute food boxes and provided free meals. We've provided mosques and community members with resources they need during this crisis. In 2020, AMAC has
• Distributed over 4500 boxes of food at the Islamic
Center of Tennessee
• Helped provide over 2000 prepared meals
• Held free covid testing at area mosques
• Provided food vouchers from halal grocery stores
• Helped grassroots organization secure funding for
covid assistance
• Held virtual discussions on COVID-19
• Provided detailed information on COVID resources
on our website, in the newsletter and through flyers.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
AMAC is in the forefront of fighting Islamophobia and discrimination in Tennessee and educating community about Muslims and racism. In 2020 AMAC had
• Responded to Islamophobic ad in The Tennesseean - 600 community leaders signed onto AMAC's letter condemning the ad
• Challenged rule on hijab for student athletes- A high school student was disqualified from a volleyball match for wearing a hijab without obtaining a special permission. The TSSAA changed their rule so that any religious headwear can be worn while playing sports without needing permission.
• Assisted individuals facing discrimination
• Led the effort against the appointment of a known Islamophobe to
Textbook Commission - Over 500 allies signed on to a letter asking the speaker of the house to rescind the appointment.
• Served as a member of the Policing Policy Commission in
Nashville
• Conducted cultural competency training with police cadets
• Organized webinars on racism in the community
YOUTH LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
AMAC is developing our next generation of leaders through two programs: Youth Leadership Program in collaboration with Anhar Institute and the AMAC Youth Committee. They learn leadership skills as well as how to organize their own events. Here are some examples
of their work:
• Unity in the Community Panel Discussion (in person)
• Mental Health During Covid (online)
• Discussion on the election (online)
• Growing Up Muslim in America (online)
• Clothing and supply drive with Anhar Institute
and Helping Hand
• Volunteering in the community

In 2021, AMAC will continue these programs on civic engagement, community education, covid-19 response and youth leadership development and will include our annual Empowering Women Conference in the fall, if conditions allow for it.

Needs

AMAC is a statewide grassroots organization, so our most pressing need is financial in order to support and grow our staff and programs. AMAC also needs volunteers to help execute programing and help with research and clerical work.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy  - Civil Rights, Social Action, & Advocacy N.E.C.
Secondary Category:	Community Improvement, Capacity Building  -
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

Tennessee has seen a growing population of Muslims from different racial and ethnic background. Unfortunately, with this growth has come an increase anti-Muslim sentiment. AMAC seeks to empower Muslims across Tennessee whether in the large cities or rural areas by building bridges of mutual respect.

TN