Karamah is active in the United States. Through our dialogues over the years with the three branches of the government, we advocate for the rights and interests of the Muslim community nationally. Working with the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches, Karamah strives to foster greater understanding of Islam and the Muslim community on the various levels of government.  It also acts as a constructive interlocutor between the United States government and the Muslim community.  Through its other programs, KARAMAH also strives to foster greater understanding within the Muslim community of the American Constitution, and our right and privileges there under.  .Through its mediation, conflict resolution and educational methods, KARAMAH has been a quiet force for change within the Muslim community and on the national level.

Introduction

The institutional capacity of KARAMAH, like that of most American Muslim organizations, has been severely tested after 9/11. While the demand for our projects and services has dramatically increased, our resources have not. We have successfully expanded and developed many of our programs, and in doing so, have attracted many talented young women who have bought fresh new ideas and energy to KARAMAH. The last three years have been pivotal and crucial for us. Originally, KARAMAH was primarily involved in research from within academic departments in various universities.  However, four years ago, we were able to secure office space through a generous grant, and hence attract volunteers and interns to join in our efforts. This development also allowed us to expand our educational reach within the community by instituting regular educational programs on our premises.  We are now bringing our intellectual work to the grassroots.   The experiment has been encouraging and we are working on expanding it further. 

Overview of Activities
Muslim women all over the country reach out to KARAMAH regarding cases of domestic violence, divorce, immigration law, and civil rights. Although other organizations provide similar services, what makes KARAMAH’s services unique is that we analyze and provide solutions from both an Islamic jurisprudential perspective and an American legal perspective. Our significant resources of scholars, who are knowledgeable in Islamic law, permit us to give direct Islamic legal advice in areas such as marriage, divorce, and rights within the Muslim family.  Further, we advocate Muslim women’s rights in American courts and have acted as expert witnesses in various cases nationally.  Our knowledge of the American court system and cases involving the Islamic marriage contract within it permits us to advise lawyers and service providers on how to deal with Muslim women and Islamic law. We also provide referrals to pro bono or reduced fee attorneys throughout the country.
 
Through our presentations and lectures, we aim to raise legal consciousness about the importance of respecting the jurisprudence of Islamic family law, in particular that of the Islamic marriage contract. We believe that in the long-term we are helping Muslim women, their communities, and the American legal system understand each other. Typically, we stay involved in the most serious cases on a long-term basis, ensuring that women are receiving all relevant and necessary assistance in reaching a solution to all their problems.  We also provide referrals to culturally sensitive mental health services in an effort to offer a holistic approach and truly understand both the practical and psychological facets of the cases that we receive.
The Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ) convenes regular federal interagency meetings every six to eight weeks at its headquarters in Washington D.C. to discuss civil rights abuses against Arab, South Asian, and Muslim communities post 9/11. The leaders of select Muslim, Arab, and South Asian community organizations, including KARAMAH, are invited to participate in these meetings.

KARAMAH has raised concerns and provided instances of individual civil rights violations at these meetings.  The DOJ has responded to our comments by issuing, where appropriate, letters of warning to concerned parties.  We have brought to the attention of the DOJ examples of extreme discrimination against Muslim girls at public schools, discrimination against foreign students at state universities, and the harassment of Muslim women in the army and other government positions.

In pursuit of our educational objectives, we have given lectures at governmental agencies, judicial conferences, on Capitol Hill, and also at other events organized by the American legal community.  KARAMAH continues to view its educational mission as paramount in its activities within the community and in the country as a whole. Over the years, we have also carried our educational activities to the various branches of government.  Most recently, we have given lectures at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School.

For more information on our outreach efforts, please see the links below.

Karamah Meets with President Bush
Iftar Dinner at the White House
Karamah Iftar Dinner with Dr.Rice
Karamah meets with President Bush - Sept 10, 2002
Karamah Takes Part in Meeting with United States Attorney General