MLFA´s legal division defends against unjust prosecution, governmental overreach, and systems of oppression through civil, immigration, and criminal litigation. All legal services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries. Civil Rights Litigation: MLFA protects the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution through targeted civil litigation against federal, state, and local governments and select private organizations. MLFA’s civil litigation actions contest the use of the Terrorist Watch Lists used to deny substantive constitutional rights to individuals, the denial of religious accommodations by federal and state governments to eligible persons and organizations, unlawful activities by hate groups, and the denial of services based on religious affiliation. Criminal Defense: The rights granted to both citizens and non-citizens in the United States under the Constitution protect the most basic of human rights. MLFA´s legal division works to ensure that in the criminal arena,...

Islam in Prisons Islam is significantly represented in prisons nationwide, in part due to conversion in prisons and because of disproportionate policing rates of Black and brown communities. Despite a large portion of Muslim inmates, they must fight tooth and nail to practice basic tenets of their faith including, but certainly not limited to, eating halal meals. This places Muslim inmates who believe they must eat a diet which regularly consists of halal meat in an impossible situation. We anticipate that the Organization, IFANCA, and any other partners will be successful in (1) creating broader awareness and buy-in of the problem, and (2) establishing positive legal precedent which will facilitate the availability of halal meals in prisons.  The Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) is one of the few organizations across the nation that provides legal representation to Muslim inmates...

The Ihsan Standard is a capacity-building legal and research project—dedicated to leadership excellence among minority-led and Muslim American nonprofits. Muslim Americans, like other faith-based communities, rely upon the nonprofit sector to promote public good and build religious identity. The Muslim American nonprofit subsector is relatively young, diverse, and quickly expanding. Yet, it also experiences internal and external friction, including a disparate amount of scrutiny in law, policy, and practice. The Muslim American nonprofit subsector faces overlapping challenges with other minority-led nonprofits. Overall, it is under-resourced. Legal advice and healthy governance practices can be critical to the success of nonprofits. The Ihsan Standard intervenes with legal screenings in support of healthy nonprofit practices. The Ihsan Standard also conducts research to understand and address the resource challenges of minority-led and Muslim American nonprofits.

Honoring the Life & Legacy of our Pillar - Tarek Al-Kadri ¨We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tarek, who led our Board with a great vision, a sharp mind, a pure heart, and absolute integrity. He led by example and was a role model for all of us at the Muslim Legal Fund of America and throughout the nation. Our most heartfelt condolences go out to his wife and his six children. He will be so dearly missed.¨ – Arshia Ali-Khan, Chief Executive Officer   There simply aren’t enough adjectives to fully and adequately describe either the influence or character of a man like Tarek Reskan Mohammed Al-Kadri. In the wake of his passing, many of us have been left struggling to put together the words to properly express the impact Tarek has had in our own lives...

The Motorcycle Imam is on the road promoting freedom and equality for Muslims in the U.S.A. Imam Ahmed is traveling across the country to spread the news about the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA). We want to meet you in person. We want to hear about what’s important to you and how we can help you and your communities. We want to show up for you. It’s a story of old-fashioned travel. We’ve all been isolated for years. Let’s step into the light and the fresh air and get to know each other. Here we are. We want you to feel personally that you are a part of what we do. We’re here to serve the community. We see a brighter future for Muslims in the United States, a future in which we feel a sense of belonging and...

US vs. The Holy Land Five is a powerful documentary exposing the devastating consequences of Islamophobia and injustices in US justice systems. It follows an acclaimed charity, The Holy Land Foundation (HLF), founded by five Palestinian-American founders in 1989 that quickly grew to become the largest Muslim charity organization within America – until 9/11 when it was targeted under government scrutiny alleging donations were sent to charities linked with Hamas. After two trials involving anonymous witness testimony, problematic translations and jury rejection of reliable government witnesses all five defendants received sentences ranging from 15 -65 years inspiring this groundbreaking feature film examining events leading up to their convictions while urging us all to be mindful on our journey towards true justice for everyone everywhere!