Photo courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle

Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, San Francisco Chapter

The political climate in the US for people of Middle Eastern descent, Arabs and Muslims has become increasingly hostile.  These communities have repeatedly experienced persistent discrimination and institutionalized racism of our judicial and immigration systems.

There are several high profile cases such as that of Sami Al-Arian, a tenured professor at South Florida University.

Mr. Al-Arian was detained soon after 9-11 due to his activism for Palestine and work for civil liberties; he spent two years in jail before being given his day in court. A jury found him not guilty on the most egregious charges against him and on the remaining two, he was acquitted. Since his acquittal he continues to be detained in jail for excercising his civil rights within the agreements of his plea bargain, and refusing to testify to a Grand Jury.  

Mr. Al-Arian has received international attention, yet there are many individuals who continue to experience assaults on their civil liberties and individuals who find themselves stuck in a broken immigration system that targets them due to their country or origin, their surname or the religion that they practice.

The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee San Francisco Chapter (ADC-SF) has long been a key actor in the Bay Area to combat the forces that keep Arabs from accessing services and asserting their political and civil rights.  As immigration is used as a tool to enforce national security targetting people of color, Arabs and Muslims are now particularly vulnerable.

To address the increasing immigration-related needs of this community, ADC-SF has launched a crucial new campaign called the Arab American Legal Services (AALS), to provide direct immigration assistance to Arab Americans, Muslims, and others in need of representation.

The AALS was formed through a collaboration in San Francisco – the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Education Network (SFILEN). Already, AALS has set a new precedent by organizing the first-ever legal clinic in the Tenderloin District to serve the low-income Arab community, particularly North African newcomers.

Arab American Legal Services (AALS) uses this direct legal help as the launching point for educating and organizing Arab Americans locally to assert individual rights; empower Arab communities; and foster coalition building in other struggles of immigrants and people of color. 

With this work, AALS hopes to propel a racial justice movement that recognizes the criminalization of immigrant communities by the government and media, and resists these divisive tactics, adding strength to connected movements for criminal justice and prison abolition.