Bill Text: CA AJR39 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Muslim Americans.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 43-1)
Status: (Failed) 2016-11-30 - Died at Desk. [AJR39 Detail]
Download: California-2015-AJR39-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: AJR 39 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Levine
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Arambula, Atkins,
Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu,
Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Cristina Garcia,
Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gray, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Jones-Sawyer, Lopez, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas,
Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Ting, and Weber)
(Coauthors: Senators Allen and Block)
MAY 19, 2016
Relative to Muslim Americans.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 39, as introduced, Levine. Muslim Americans.
This measure would commend Muslim Americans for their economic,
political, and cultural impact on California and the United States.
This measure would call upon Members of the United States Congress
to respect the First Amendment, and to speak out against and reject
efforts to monitor mosques, efforts to police and profile Muslim
Americans, and efforts to prohibit Muslims from immigrating to the
United States, and to speak out against and reject any efforts to
pursue an immigration policy based on religion.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, Approximately 3 million Muslim Americans live in the
United States, with more than 1 million in California. As the
fastest-growing religion in America, by the year 2050, the number of
Muslim Americans is projected to more than double. California has the
largest Muslim American community in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Famous Muslim Americans have been very successful in a
variety of fields. Examples include: legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali;
civil rights activist, Malcolm X; American journalist for the
Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria; retired NBA basketball champion,
Shaquille O'Neal; surgeon, author, and television personality, Dr.
Mehmet Oz; comedian and author, Aziz Ansari; Chairman of Ethan Allen,
Inc., Farooq Kathwari; CEO of AST Research, Inc., and Professor at
University of California Irvine, Safi Qureshey; and designer of the
Willis (formerly Sears) Tower and the John Hancock Center in Chicago,
Fazlur Rahman Khan; and
WHEREAS, Muslim Americans work in various careers in commerce,
public service, arts, the military, science, sports, and academia and
have impacted the United States in practically every profession.
They enrich political, cultural, and economic life in California and
in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Muslim Americans come from many different political,
racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. Muslim Americans have
come to the United States from more than 80 countries. Muslims have
suffered through poverty, violence, wars, and ethnic and religious
persecution, causing them to seek refuge in the United States where
they can practice their religion freely; and
WHEREAS, The history of Muslims in America goes back more than 400
years. During the 17th century, many of the slaves brought to
America were Muslims. There is evidence that suggests that Muslims
came to the Americas with Christopher Columbus. Scholars have
estimated that around a quarter to a third of the enslaved Africans
brought to the United States were Muslims; and
WHEREAS, The first wave of Muslim immigration to the United States
began in the late 19th century from regions under Ottoman Empire
rule. In 1924, Muslims were prohibited from entering the United
States under the Immigration Act. After World War II, many Muslims
came to America as students seeking higher education and as refugees
fleeing oppression. With the passage of the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1965, greater numbers of Muslims began migrating
to America; and
WHEREAS, The First Amendment of the United States Constitution
guarantees all Americans the right to practice their religion.
Nonetheless, the Muslim American community continues to face
religious prejudice. Many members live in fear, facing isolation and
discrimination. Recent polling shows that 50 percent of all American
voters support a temporary ban on Muslims traveling to the United
States. Approximately 55 percent of California Muslim school-aged
children have been bullied. There is also a surge in hate crimes
against Muslim Americans; and
WHEREAS, Some American political figures have proposed or publicly
supported " A] total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering
the United States." It has also been proposed that a federal
commission be established to study immigration policies, including
the proposed ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States; and
WHEREAS, Some American political figures have also proposed or
publicly supported monitoring mosques and policing and profiling
Muslim Americans; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature commends Muslim Americans
for their economic, political, and cultural impact on California and
the United States. California prides itself on cultural and religious
diversity. Muslim Americans are a vital part of the community and
should feel safe and are welcome throughout California and the United
States; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature respectfully requests Members of
the United States Congress to respect the First Amendment, which
forbids Congress from restricting an individual's religious
practices, and to speak out against and reject efforts to monitor
mosques, efforts to police and profile American Muslims, and efforts
to prohibit Muslims from immigrating to the United States, and
respectfully requests Members of Congress to speak out against and
reject any efforts to pursue an immigration policy based on religion;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to
the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
author for appropriate distribution.
