For many in the American Muslim community, recent news about a major change in politics felt like a spark of hope in a time of despair.
“The IRS now says pastors can endorse candidates,” headlines across the country read.
Some mosques took this news to mean that they could now allow imams and khatibs to speak freely from the minbar about politicians, endorse candidates who reflect the American Muslim community’s values, and hold accountable those politicians who support genocide, occupation, and Islamophobia.
The sense of urgency to take bolder political stands at our houses of worship is understandable and deeply felt, especially in the wake of the Israeli apartheid government’s ongoing campaign of extermination and expulsion in Gaza.
However, our two organizations—the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, CAIR, and the political advocacy group CAIR Action—are strongly advising mosques not to permit speakers to endorse political candidates, in order to protect their tax-exempt status. Here’s why.
