For months, protests have taken place around the country in response to the Israeli genocide in Gaza and our government’s role in the conflict.[1] Despite these protests, the US government has stayed firm in its support of Israel and has provided at least $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel in the year following Oct. 7, 2023, making it by far the most military aid the US has ever sent Israel in one year.[2] Even prior to Oct. 7, protests showing our concern with our government’s blind support of Israel have been happening for years, but to no avail. Our government continues to not only stand by Israel, but also increases its support through additional military aid, despite the sustained pressure through protests all around the country. This lack of response from our leaders prompts us to ask: if protests aren’t working, how can we influence our government to make decisions that truly reflect our beliefs and interests?
To cause real change, we need a new approach, one that requires strategic thinking, controlled movements, and working within our political system to form partnerships and political relationships. One of the biggest tools our community needs to start taking advantage of is lobbying.
Lobbying is a form of advocacy that involves communicating with legislators and government officials to influence policy.[3] It can include everything from grassroots efforts, where ordinary people call their representatives to discuss their concerns, to professional lobbyists who live and work in state capitols and Washington D.C. to meet with legislators on behalf of their clients. Since the founding of our country, lobbying has played a role in our political sphere with the first professional lobbyist being documented in 1792, and its influence over how our representatives vote has only grown.[4]
But how can we use lobbying to promote our causes, especially when there is already so much pressure supporting opposing views? There are two main ways that we, as a Muslim community, can play a role.
The first is participating in grassroots lobbying. As residents of the US, every one of us has the ability to call our House and Senate representatives to express our views. Grassroots lobbying is the mobilization of ordinary people, like you and me, to contact their representatives and express their views. According to a 2009 study from researchers at Michigan State University, East Lansing, grassroots lobbying has significant influence on representatives’ decisions on legislation, making them around 20% more likely to vote in line with the lobbying movement’s goals.[5] By emailing, calling, and, if possible, visiting our representatives, we can make sure our voices are directly heard and considered in the decision-making process. Additionally, mass mobilization shows our representatives the strength of our community and that voting for the Muslim community does not jeopardize their reelection.
We have used grassroots lobbying in the past to pass legislation useful to our community. At the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ 2023 Muslim Day at the Capitol (CAIR MDAC) in Sacramento, over 700 Muslim community members participated in grassroots lobbying to advocate for the passing of 3 bills, spending the day meeting with legislators and staffers to explain our views on the bills and why they should vote in favor of them. These efforts resulted in important gains for our community, with all three bills being passed, securing rights that affect daily life throughout the state–from religious freedom in the state prison system to more religious accommodations for students and government employees.[6] Seeing that it really does work, and that we really do have power, continuing to harness this power on a larger scale is essential if we want to continue pushing for our interests.
While grassroots lobbying allows us to amplify our individual voices, strong organizations help coordinate our voices and transform our efforts into sustained, impactful campaigns. Organizations like American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), CAIR, Yameen USA, and Muslim Visionaries are all great organizations that provide resources on how to organize and work on our behalf to promote policies that align with our values. However, most of them are extremely limited in the scope of their work because of a simple lack of resources. As a community, we need to realize these organizations’ essential role in promoting our interests domestically and abroad and the importance of supporting them with our time, money, and engagement. As the future leaders of our Muslim community, it is imperative that we take action by participating in their programs, like AMP’s Palestine Advocacy Day or CAIR’s Muslim Day at the Capitol, and working to increase their presence and influence. To get started, consider visiting the local chapter website of one of the organizations listed above to learn more about how you can get involved. One specific opportunity that we can all take advantage of is AMP’s Palestine Advocacy Clubs. These local programs set up by AMP work with passionate advocates to train them on lobbying techniques and give them the opportunity to speak to their local representatives. Additionally, all of the organizations listed above have newsletters that you can subscribe to where you will receive updates on the work they’re doing and calls to action on specific lobbying campaigns they’re conducting. By participating in these programs, we can increase the reach of the valuable work they do and take an active role in causing the change we want to see.
While protesting plays its role and has an effect in changing public opinion, we cannot rely on protesting alone to promote real change. It is time that we start thinking strategically. Combining the two methods discussed above is going to be essential to change our government’s stances on topics we don’t agree about. By focusing on contacting our representatives directly and supporting organizations that lobby on our behalf, we can ensure that our voices are actually heard. Together, we have the potential to create a meaningful shift. It’s time to envision what we can achieve through strategic lobbying and community organizing–moving us closer to a future that advocates for a free Palestine and beyond.