No one should feel unequal, unwelcome, or unsafe because of their ethnicity or the way they pray.

We know that each of us can do our parts as individuals: we can rebuke racist language, behavior, and policies. We can resist racism and defend targeted communities. We can promote fairness, understanding, and justice.  I can tear down barriers and build bridges. Together, we can counter racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia.

If not now, when?

This phase in our society harkens to some of the bleakest periods of U.S. history, where politics of fear stoked an atmosphere of racism and xenophobia across the country. Layers of institutional and structural racism in Muslim communities and broader society - and the daily realities of all forms of bias, prejudice and bigotry - began long before this administration. However, the normalization of hate speech, passage of discriminatory legislation, and erosion of civil liberties has led to a broad-based movement to build a society where people can live in dignity.

The Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC) recognizes the importance of fulfilling our Creator's mandate to fight oppression through sacred resistance.

We pledge to join together in leading the way towards ending racism. Out of our moral obligation to embody the principles of justice and human rights, we commit to protect and preserve the dignity of all, and uplift the most vulnerable in our society. 

This pledge is open to people of all backgrounds. All human beings deserve dignity and respect. All of us can commit to change within ourselves, for our communities, and to transform society.

Learn more about MuslimARC, a racial justice education organization, at www.muslimarc.org. 

MuslimARC's #SacredPledge was drafted by Margari Hill, Layla Abdullah-Poulos, Bill Chambers, Namira Islam, Angelina Ayes, and other MuslimARC members. The pledge draws from multiple sources, including MuslimARC's 5 things to Do Post Inauguration, CLU’s Sacred Resistance Pledge, YWCA Bergen County's Pledge to Eliminate Racism in My Life, and the 2006 "Pledge to Heal Racism in My Life" by Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace.