American Muslims for Palestine (“AMP”) is one of the largest groups in the U.S. educating Americans on the just cause of Palestine. Unfortunately, AMP’s success has made it the target in recent months of a series of lawsuits seeking to unfairly tie it to the events of October 7 in Israel. Several survivors of those attacks filed a federal lawsuit in Virginia, seeking to hold AMP and its leaders liable under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Alien Tort Statute. This lawsuit contains, as Civil Litigation Department Head Christina Jump recently expressed, “more of the same with little to no basis in fact.” MLFA continues to represent AMP in court against these accusations and others across the country. As Ms. Jump noted, “These plaintiffs and their attorney are effectively trying to make it too expensive for any Palestinian nonprofit to ever exist again in the United States.” We will continue our fight to make sure that does not happen.
AMP formed domestically in the U.S. in 2006 and operates entirely within the U.S. in compliance with applicable law. The lawsuit attempts to tie AMP to October 7 through its constitutionally protected free speech and advocacy. The Virginia lawsuit presumes AMP is the reiteration of other, unrelated organizations that became defunct in 2004, as a lawsuit in Illinois has been attempting to prove since 2017. This is not the case, and court has ever issued any finding upholding the truth of those allegations. Individuals unrelated to those former organizations founded AMP in 2006 as a voice for Palestinians in the United States, to educate the public and elected officials, and to celebrate Palestine’s rich history and culture.
As part of its mission, AMP supports all high school and college students who organize educational events at their schools to teach about Palestine. But, as we made clear in court documents, responses to many media requests, and responses to inquiries from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, AMP is not the “parent” of, nor does it have any corporate relationship with, National Students for Justice in Palestine (“NSJP”). The plaintiffs in Virginia further allege that AMP somehow directs the actions of NSJP and other unaffiliated student groups across the country. This is also untrue. AMP takes no position on the allegations against NSJP and simply cannot be held responsible for actions it did not take. And, AMP recognizes that, as young adults, students on campuses across the country have both the independent capacity and constitutionally protected right to peacefully protest as they each choose and see fit.
Ms. Jump recently expressed her sympathy for the plaintiffs in the Virginia lawsuit and “recognize[d] [the Plaintiffs] are hurting” but that “they do not have a right to go after any legal nonprofit in America that they choose, simply because they don’t like or don’t agree with its message.” With MLFA’s attorneys on its side, AMP will continue its necessary and completely legal work to promote the just cause of Palestine within the United States.