FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How to apply for help?

Once you have read about our work, if you think that your legal problem fits within our mission, then go to the top navigation of this site: What we do --> Apply for Help

Once you have read about our work, if you think that your legal problem fits within our mission, then go to the top navigation of this site: What we do –> Apply for Help

Please keep the following things in mind:

  • MLFA´s legal team (CLCMA) will not be able to consider taking your case unless you fill out an intake application. There is no substitute for that process.
  • Please be patient — we will get in touch with you as soon as we can. The time it takes for us to contact you will vary based on our caseload and applications. Usually, this is 2-5 days for initial contact.
  • You will likely not be contacted by our department head attorneys initially; you will speak with one of our top paralegals first, who then relay your information to the attorneys who evaluate your issues.
  •  We will not be able to take on every case. Although we wish we could assist every person who requests help, we simply don’t have the resources. If we are unable to take your case, we will let you know and help point you toward resources to find someone who can.
  • Be aware that the MLFA´s legal committee has the final say on the cases that we take:

Once you follow up with a staff member at MLFA, the attorneys will decide whether or not to recommend to our Legal Committee that we take your case, based on whether it fits within our mission and our capacity to take on new matters at that time. Our legal committee members will determine whether we are able to take the case. This process ensures that we use our resources in the most effective way possible Because we do not have the final say on what cases we take, we will be unable to immediately commit to you or give you an answer about whether we will take on your case.

What types of cases does MLFA fund?

The Muslim Legal Fund of America considers cases with significant potential impact on civil rights and liberties in America. MLFA does not fund cases solely on the basis of a person’s religious identity.

The Muslim Legal Fund of America considers cases with significant potential impact on civil rights and liberties in America. MLFA does not fund cases solely on the basis of a person’s religious identity. While our focus is protecting the civil rights and liberties of a persecuted minority in America (Muslims), being Muslim alone does not qualify an individual, group or organization for assistance from MLFA.

Due to limited resources, the Muslim Legal Fund of America cannot fund every case presented to the organization. MLFA declining to fund a case does not necessarily mean that a case lacks merit.

MLFA focuses on constitutional issues such as:

  • Freedom of religion
  • Freedom of speech
  • Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures
  • Due process of law
  • Right to a trial by jury
  • Legal Rights of the accused
  • Right to face one’s accuser
  • Right to legal counsel
  • Prohibition of excessive bail
  • Protection from cruel and unusual punishment

MLFA may also provide financial assistance for legal costs for situations in which individuals are being approached by federal law enforcement agents, especially if the individuals believe they are being approached because of their religious beliefs.

 

The Muslim Legal Fund of America DOES NOT generally provide financial assistance for the following types of cases:

  • A person was fired from a job without a good reason or just cause
  • Domestic matters (divorce, child custody, wills, etc.)
  • A person is being denied benefits, such as workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, or Social Security
  • Landlord/tenant disputes
  • State cases
  • Other legal cases that do not have the potential to have a broad impact (potential to set or strengthen a civil liberties precedent)
What does MLFA aim to accomplish?

Reduce the frequency and efficacy of civil liberty violations against Muslims in American courtrooms.

  • Reduce the frequency and efficacy of civil liberty violations against Muslims in American courtrooms.
  • Safeguard community members’ constitutional rights by funding effective legal work and programs.
  • Empower community members to safeguard their constitutional rights by providing information material about exercising those rights
What are MLFA’s key strategies for making this happen?

Representing Muslim defendants in select cases that fit the scope of MLFA’s mission.

  • Representing Muslim defendants in select cases that fit the scope of MLFA’s mission.
  • Increase awareness of relevant issues through multi-media communications channels.
  • Develop a network of supporters to help spread awareness and funding capacity.
  • Strengthen American Muslim nonprofits by performing risk and compliance evaluations and educating them on the issues they need to be aware of and to work on to keep themselves and their communities safe.

 

 

 

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

Muslim Legal Fund of America is staffed with nonprofit professionals who have a cumulative 100+ years of nonprofit experience.

Muslim Legal Fund of America is staffed with nonprofit professionals who have a cumulative 100+ years of nonprofit experience. MLFA is also funding a nonprofit law firm headed by renowned attorney Charles Swift, retired officer in the US Naval JAG corps. This nonprofit law firm provides legal representation for cases that fit the scope of MLFA’s mission. Mr. Swift leads a team of bright and committed attorneys, fellows, and staff concentrating in immigration, civil, criminal, and nonprofit compliance matters. CLCMA provides all of its services pro bono.

The national average for legal work in the US is $250 per hour. When CLCMA was established in 2014, MLFA was able to provide exceptionally high-caliber legal service and bring the average legal cost down to $85 per hour. This meant that MLFA could fund many more cases efficiently without sacrificing excellent legal representation for American Muslims in federal courtrooms. One of the greatest benefits to the CLCMA model is institutional knowledge and learning capacity. Having the same attorneys and staff working on similar issues in immigration, civil, and criminal cases over time increases everyone’s aptitude and experience moving forward. This creates higher efficiency, greater expertise, and overall more effective representation. Institutional memory, historical data, and collaborative teamwork, will also help the CLCMA scale and mitigate risk during succession planning.

CLCMA launched the Nonprofit Practice Group (NPG) as a pilot project in September 2016. The NPG, led by Senior Corporate Counsel and Director of Outreach and Compliance, Shari F. Crittendon, serves as a resource to the Muslim community by providing a range of transactional legal services for Muslim nonprofit organizations (NPOs) during their start-up, continuation, or expansion phases. NPG’s mission is to transform the Muslim community by equipping its nonprofit leaders with the skills, confidence, and resources they need to make their organizations effective, innovative, and sustainable. NPG’s work consists of assisting charitable, community, and faith-based Muslim NPOs in strengthening their organizational and programmatic infrastructure, so that they may achieve their mission and withstand heightened government scrutiny.

What has MLFA accomplished?

Muslim Legal Fund of America takes partial credit for the pressure placed on federal law enforcement agencies to start recording voluntary interviews with community members.

Muslim Legal Fund of America takes partial credit for the pressure placed on federal law enforcement agencies to start recording voluntary interviews with community members. MLFA is active in spreading awareness of the “false statements” traps that federal agents use to arrest and imprison innocent community members who were just trying to help. MLFA also provides grants to organizations who also spread awareness and publish studies on federal law enforcement abuses of community members’ civil liberties.

Over the years, MLFA learned that centralizing efforts helps maintain better control over financial resources. The MLFA-funded nonprofit law firm will help reduce overhead, increase representation capacity, and establish long-term infrastructure for safeguarding constitutional rights in America.

MLFA is seeing proof of concept that funding a nonprofit law center is a better model than the previous case-funding approach. We are seeing more success each year via case outcomes. We see our community requesting legal support much earlier and more often, which in turn leads to better outcomes in general.

MLFA is funding more cases, serving more clients, and achieving better results. CLCMA is increasing their capacity by training new Muslim attorneys, collaborating with major law firms on a pro-bono basis, providing proactive / preventative engagement and educational services to our nonprofit organizations and leadership.

Our focus is to develop and expand the nonprofit law center and staff each department in order to grow as the number one source for legal representation and education for the American Muslim community. This can be realized through the generosity of our donor community who recognize, support, and promote the work that makes justice, possible.

Does MLFA accept Stock donations?

Yes. Follow the steps below to transfer stocks: Contact your broker/brokerage firm (in writing) to transfer the specific number of shares of a particular stock or percentage of your mutual fund portfolio to Muslim Legal Fund of America with the following information:

Yes, Please follow the steps below to transfer stocks:Contact your broker/brokerage firm (in writing) to transfer the specific number of shares of a particular stock or percentage of your mutual fund portfolio to Muslim Legal Fund of America with the following information:

  • Receiving Firm Name: FOLIO INSTITUTIONAL
  • Receiving Firm DTC Number: 0728
  • Receiving Account Title: MUSLIM LEGAL FUND OF AMERICA
  • Receiving Account Number: RM11803007
  • Folio Institutional address:

Folio Institutional
8180 Greensboro Drive,
8th Floor,
McLean, VA 22102
Tel: 1.888.485.3456

Is it safe for you to donate to MLFA?

Donating to MLFA is secure. Your support helps us defend religious rights, combat profiling, and challenge the illegal use of undercover programs. We’re protected under the 6th Amendment - any interference with funding would be a violation of the law.

Donating to MLFA is secure. Your support helps us defend religious rights, combat profiling, and challenge the illegal use of undercover programs. We’re protected under the 6th Amendment – any interference with funding would be a violation of the law. Additionally, your donation is confidential and exempt from disclosure to federal agencies like the FBI and Homeland Security.

MLFA only represents U.S persons so we never accept or send donations abroad or risk prosecution for supporting international terrorists. Read our statement from the Head of our Criminal Department, Charlie Swift.

Is MLFA Zakat Eligible?

We are honored to be Zakat-eligible, approved by the Fiqh Council of North America. At MLFA, our mission is to defend and support unfairly treated Muslims, an act that is considered a noble cause in Islam.

We are honored to be Zakat-eligible, approved by the Fiqh Council of North America. At MLFA, our mission is to defend and support unfairly treated Muslims, an act that is considered a noble cause in Islam. It is recommended that a portion of Zakat collections should go towards organizations like ours that provide crucial services to Muslims.