California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39

Introduced by Assembly Member Levine

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Arambula, Atkins, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Cristina Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gray, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Lopez, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Ting, and Weber)

(Coauthors: Senators Allen and Block)

May 19, 2016

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39—Relative to Muslim Americans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AJR 39, as introduced, Levine. Muslim Americans.

This measure would commend Muslim Americans for their economic, political, and cultural impact on California and the United States.

This measure would call upon Members of the United States Congress to respect the First Amendment, and to speak out against and reject efforts to monitor mosques, efforts to police and profile Muslim Americans, and efforts to prohibit Muslims from immigrating to the United States, and to speak out against and reject any efforts to pursue an immigration policy based on religion.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Approximately 3 million Muslim Americans live
in the United States, with more than 1 million in California. As
the fastest-growing religion in America, by the year 2050, the
number of Muslim Americans is projected to more than double.
California has the largest Muslim American community in the
United States; and

WHEREAS, Famous Muslim Americans have been very
successful in a variety of fields. Examples include: legendary
boxer, Muhammad Ali; civil rights activist, Malcolm X; American
journalist for the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria; retired NBA
basketball champion, Shaquille O’Neal; surgeon, author, and
television personality, Dr. Mehmet Oz; comedian and author, Aziz
Ansari; Chairman of Ethan Allen, Inc., Farooq Kathwari; CEO of
AST Research, Inc., and Professor at University of California
Irvine, Safi Qureshey; and designer of the Willis (formerly Sears)
Tower and the John Hancock Center in Chicago, Fazlur Rahman
Khan; and

WHEREAS, Muslim Americans work in various careers in
commerce, public service, arts, the military, science, sports, and
academia and have impacted the United States in practically every
profession. They enrich political, cultural, and economic life in
California and in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Muslim Americans come from many different
political, racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. Muslim
Americans have come to the United States from more than 80
countries. Muslims have suffered through poverty, violence, wars,
and ethnic and religious persecution, causing them to seek refuge
in the United States where they can practice their religion freely;
and

WHEREAS, The history of Muslims in America goes back more
than 400 years. During the 17th century, many of the slaves brought
to America were Muslims. There is evidence that suggests that
Muslims came to the Americas with Christopher Columbus.
Scholars have estimated that around a quarter to a third of the
enslaved Africans brought to the United States were Muslims; and

WHEREAS, The first wave of Muslim immigration to the United
States began in the late 19th century from regions under Ottoman
Empire rule. In 1924, Muslims were prohibited from entering the
United States under the Immigration Act. After World War II,
many Muslims came to America as students seeking higher
education and as refugees fleeing oppression. With the passage of
the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, greater numbers of
Muslims began migrating to America; and

WHEREAS, The First Amendment of the United States
Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to practice their
religion. Nonetheless, the Muslim American community continues
to face religious prejudice. Many members live in fear, facing
isolation and discrimination. Recent polling shows that 50 percent
of all American voters support a temporary ban on Muslims
traveling to the United States. Approximately 55 percent of
California Muslim school-aged children have been bullied. There
is also a surge in hate crimes against Muslim Americans; and

WHEREAS, Some American political figures have proposed
or publicly supported “[A] total and complete shutdown of Muslims
entering the United States.” It has also been proposed that a federal
commission be established to study immigration policies, including
the proposed ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States;
and

WHEREAS, Some American political figures have also
proposed or publicly supported monitoring mosques and policing
and profiling Muslim Americans; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature commends Muslim
Americans for their economic, political, and cultural impact on
California and the United States. California prides itself on cultural
and religious diversity. Muslim Americans are a vital part of the
community and should feel safe and are welcome throughout
California and the United States; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully requests Members
of the United States Congress to respect the First Amendment,
which forbids Congress from restricting an individual’s religious
practices, and to speak out against and reject efforts to monitor
mosques, efforts to police and profile American Muslims, and
efforts to prohibit Muslims from immigrating to the United States,
and respectfully requests Members of Congress to speak out against
and reject any efforts to pursue an immigration policy based on
religion; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United
States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.