The Muslim Bar Association of Southern California is committed to addressing racism and bias within our legal community. As legal professionals we are committed to rooting out injustice in the legal system.

Download our full statement here or read it below.

In the Name of God the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Muslim Bar Association of Southern California (“MBASC”) is outraged and distraught by the murder of George Floyd and the continued loss of Black lives at the hands of law enforcement. We stand in solidarity with our Black sisters and brothers who have been oppressed and marginalized for far too long. MBASC demands that all law enforcement officers involved in the murder of George Floyd be held accountable and duly prosecuted. God states in the Quran, Islam’s central text, that “whoever takes a life… it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity (Quran 5:32). In George Floyd’s murder, we have lost all of humanity. MBASC extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Floyd’s family.

The death of George Floyd is a trauma to Black Americans and to people of conscience of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. MBASC calls on Muslim attorneys and attorneys of all beliefs to identify systems of racism and persecution that are abhorrent to our religious teachings and ethical responsibilities. Anti-Blackness has no place in our cities, our homes, or our gathering spaces.

Muslim attorneys condemn police brutality towards Black families in all forms. Ensuring the rights of every Black American is the responsibility of every citizen. Due process and equal protection under the law are not aspirational statements; they are statements of law binding on government.

Our shared right to liberty in our lives and in the lives of all of our loved ones is the commonality that sustains our communities and will lead us forward. Equal protection requires fairness and an end to racism and violence against all people of color. The repeated killing of our Black brothers and sisters has shown that the criminal justice system protects some but not all. Our Islamic teachings and our conscience call upon us to uphold justice and stand against racism in all its forms.

MBASC is committed to combating anti-Blackness in its upcoming programming and will issue details about programs related to the June 5, 2020 “Day of Outrage,” which calls on Muslim organizations to reflect on the issues raised by George Floyd’s murder.

As Muslims, as Americans, and as attorneys, we call not only for accountability of all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd, but also for introspection to eradicate racism from our institutions, our homes, and ourselves.