Laura Loomer and others have been attacking our organization and its leadership online for the last two weeks. While these attacks are the immediate reason for this statement, our response is directed at something much larger: a climate in which Islamophobia has continued to thrive and where decontextualizing the words of Muslims, vilifying those who challenge the violence of the War on Terror, and demanding silence in the face of that violence have become increasingly acceptable.

We reject the premise that Muslims must remain silent about state violence directed at our communities - especially while this violence continues to be normalized. We refuse to accept the silencing of our voices, the erasure of our grief, or the claim that naming and challenging state violence falls beyond the bounds of legitimate public debate.

We welcome rigorous disagreement grounded in academic, intellectual, and journalistic integrity. What we will not do is allow bad-faith distortions to determine what we are permitted to say or mourn.

We will not be intimidated into silence about state violence in the War on Terror and we will continue seeking justice, accountability and the fight to dismantle and abolish this disastrous national security infrastructure.

Our collective liberation depends on it.

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