A Statement From ADAMS Center

Assalaamu Alaykum Dear Community,

We have all witnessed the horrors that have been unleashed on our brothers and sisters in Gaza these past few months. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 75,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. Moreover, the UN last week made clear its fear that famine was becoming a reality in Gaza, with families no longer having access to any food. 

We all feel profound anguish and anger at the role our government has played in enabling the ongoing crisis in Gaza. It is natural that such flagrant injustice elicit feelings of despair and powerlessness in each of us.

Since the start of the egregious attacks being perpetrated on our brothers and sisters, the ADAMS Center has worked on multiple fronts to call for an immediate end to the indiscriminate violence being waged against the Palestinian people. Via the various forums and methods within our means, we have consistently called for a permanent ceasefire, for allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza, for an end to the illegal occupation, and for a lasting solution that ensures freedom and justice for all Palestinians. 

For more than two decades, both the ADAMS Center and Imam Magid have consistently chosen principled engagement with people in positions of authority rather than disengagement as an approach to addressing critical issues. This has been on the basis of the critical example that Allah gives us in Musa (as), who, while knowing that those in power would likely never shift from their terrible path, was commanded to engage and speak truth to that power repeatedly. 

and speak to him gently, perhaps he may take heed or fear (Allah). (Q 20:44)

We hold firm to the belief that engaging in honest and open dialogue with individuals and institutions at all levels is an essential part of securing positive change and advocating for just causes. In order to speak truth to power, like Musa (as), we must be in the room. 

The best type of struggle is speaking a word of truth in the presence of an oppressor.  _Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi

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To that end, the ADAMS Center stands with and fully supports Imam Mohamed Magid who, with his decades of self-sacrifice and principled engagement, has provided the foundation for a multi-pronged strategy that the broader American Muslim community has employed today. His example has always been clearly principled and consistent with the sunnah of the Prophet , such that he has inspired and empowered many others in the American Muslim community to use their voices on every platform even across the diversity of our strategies and tactics to tackle the same problems. 

The ADAMS Center recognizes the existence of diverse perspectives and approaches when it comes to advocating for critical causes such as that of Palestine. Varying strategies of activism, protest, and engagement are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they complement each other to create a counter-balancing power and momentum. We welcome these diverse methods and tactics, and maintain a strong conviction that genuine and lasting change can only be achieved through a multifaceted strategy that encompasses activism and engagement at every level - from on-the-ground grassroots protesting and activism, to engaging critically and earnestly with those in power. 

The ADAMS Center remains unwavering in our commitment to speaking truth to power, fostering coalitions, and supporting organizations that are working tirelessly on the ground to alleviate suffering not only for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, but also for those in Sudan, China, Kashmir, and wherever people are oppressed.

Together, let us strive for a global society where justice, equality, and human rights prevail for everyone.

Baraak Allahu feekum,

The ADAMS Center

All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling, Virginia 20164, 703-433-1325