It is the time of the year when we reflect back and celebrate our accomplishments. We achieved impact in three key areas: Influencing Public Policy, Community Engagement and Mobilizing the Muslim Vote. ​

On Saturday, December 11, 2021, IMAN Associates held its General Body Meeting at the Alhuda Islamic Center of Indiana. Syed Ali Saeed, the organization’s president, opened the meeting with a recap of our legislative activities and community engagement efforts in the last year. Then, attendees had the opportunity to engage with State Representative Edward Delaney on legislation he intends to introduce this upcoming session to benefit the Afghan refugees. It was a robust discussion where community members shared their perspectives with Rep. Delaney and asked him questions about the bill. 

IMAN Associates will take the lead on providing support to Rep. Delaney and pushing this legislation forward in the Indiana Statehouse. To get updates on this legislation, follow us on social media. 

In the early hours of October 18, 2021, the Islamic Center of Bloomington was vandalized. Footage from security cameras showed the suspect damaging picnic tables, destroying metal fencing, removing an HVAC unit from the wall, breaking playground toys, disabling a security camera and dumping trash cans. The cost of destruction is estimated at $5,000. Bloomington Police Department arrested the suspect on Thursday October 21, 2021. According to court records, the suspect has seven other charges.
IMAN Associates issued a statement condemning the vandalism and calling on Bloomington Police Department to investigate it as a hate crime. Alongside mosque leaders, the organization attended meetings with law enforcement and offered its support. Our Executive Director, Hiba Alami, spoke about the surge in hate crimes on WishTV and underscored that there is no place for hate in Indiana.

IMAN Associates' first board of directors has been steering the organization in the right direction since its inception in 2017. Last month, we held our board of directors' election. While some directors renewed their tenure, the organization welcomed new board members. We are excited that the following directors will put their talent and expertise to work while guiding the organization:
- Syed Ali Saeed, President (renewed his tenure)
- Azher Khan, Vice-President (renewed his tenure)
- Mehnaz Qureshi, Treasurer & Secretary
- Mahmood Iqbal (renewed his tenure)
- Ahmad Rami Saltagi (renewed his tenure)
- Moein Khawaja
- Saimir Qalliu
- Sameer Habib
- Ahmad Mossa-Basha
We give our sincere thanks to the following members who committed themselves to serving the organization in the last 4 years: 
- Judge David Shaheed
​- Samia Alajlouni
- Adam Paarlberg
- Eyas Raddad
- Asif Ansari

In a rushed, far from transparent process, the Indiana House and Senate approved new maps for Congressional, state senate and house districts. On October 4, 2021, Governor Holcomb signed the redistricting bill into law. While the supermajority touted the process as “fair and transparent,” All IN for Democracy coalition members, activists and Hoosiers were extremely disappointed. Their requests of holding public hearings across the state, giving Hoosiers more time to analyze the maps drawn by the legislature, and adopting the maps drawn by the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission were ignored. Also, the amendment by Senator Fady Qaddoura to HB 1581 that required maps to be redrawn by an independent citizens commission in 2031 was rejected. 
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​With new maps that “continue to give outsized influence to rural interests, even as the state’s population shifts to urban areas,” the GOP is tightening its grip on once-competitive races. Slicing the City of Fort Wayne into four senate districts is an example of how the new maps can promote political partisanship. Given that Democrats had a stronghold of Fort Wayne since 2020, the state senate districts were redrawn to split communities of interest and muffle the voices of voters. The redrawn 50 state senate districts are opening the door for Democrats to consider the possibility of a legal challenge. 

With the spike of Hate crimes in our nation, a new initiative led by the Marion County Prosecutor Office is a step in the right direction for eradicating hate crimes in our state. The new Hate Crimes Hotline will connect Hoosiers with a trained social worker and victim advocate who will document the incident and provide support to the caller. Tracking the number of hate crimes across the state will inform policy makers of the magnitude of the problem and help them pass laws to address the issue. 

On September 21, 2021, Prosecutor Ryan Mears, IMAN Associates Executive Director, Hiba Alami, and Imam Ahmed Alamine of Masjid Alfajr discussed how hate crimes remain a real threat to the safety of the Muslim community, the difference between hate crimes and hate speech, the Indiana hate crimes law and other related points. 

"According to the recent FBI hate crimes report, race ranks as the top bias that motivates hate crimes, followed by religion. Given that the Muslim community is racially diverse, our community is more likely to be the target of hate crimes than any other minority group," said Hiba Alami, IMAN Associates Executive Director.  

​We are grateful for the Marion County Prosecutors' new initiative, the Hate Crimes Hotline, that will provide Hoosiers a safe space to report hate crimes. Please call this number 317-327-5314 if you see a hate crime or are faced with one. For additional information about the hotline, you can visit this page and follow the Marion County Prosecutor Office on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 

Our sincere thanks go to MOTW Cafe and Pastries for hosting the event.

Redistricting Reform has been one of the hot button issues lately. Redrawing the maps happens once every 10 years using the census data, and determines how congressional and legislative districts will look for the next decade. Indiana is growing more racially diverse, and the redrawn maps should encourage representation in the statehouse that looks more like Hoosiers. Our democracy is at stake, especially if partisan gerrymandering took hold of the process. 

All IN for Democracy, a Redistricting Reform coalition comprised of community and faith-based organizations including IMAN Associates, has been demanding the Indiana General Assembly to draw fair maps, hold public testimonies and run a transparent process. Hearings have been scheduled for the next couple of weeks and we urge our members to attend and testify in favor of fair maps. Here is the schedule: ​

The All IN 4 Democracy coalition is ramping up its advocacy efforts in anticipation of the upcoming redistricting process. In the past few months, and with the help of the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission, the coalition has been educating Hoosiers on the ramifications of gerrymandered districts and its negative impact on our democracy. 
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Our friends at Women 4 Change Indiana, under the leadership of Executive Director Rima Shahid, have commissioned Dr. Christopher Warshaw, a tenured associate professor of political science at George Washington University, to analyze "Indiana's 2011 legislative and congressional maps based on 50 years of state and national data and on several accepted metrics for fairness." The study found that Indiana's maps are "more biased towards one party than 95% of all U.S. districting plans for which data is available enacted over the last 50 years." 

If you feel Hoosiers deserve FAIR MAPS, you can urge the Indiana General Assembly to conduct a fair and transparent redistricting process. Here are two ways for you to get involved: 
1. Sign IMAN Associates' petition to demand Indiana lawmakers to draw fair maps. We need competitive legislative districts that prioritize communities of interest together. 
2. Participate in All IN 4 Democracy "Gerrymander Meander Votercade" tomorrow, July 17th, at 2pm. Participants will meet at North United Methodist Church, 3808 N. Meridian, in the parking lot. We’ll drive in a caravan up Meridian Street, by the Governor’s residence, to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church on 86th Street, where we’ll celebrate with birthday cake and ice cream.
The father, and namesake of gerrymandering, former Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry was born on July 17th so this votercade is a public event calling for an end to the practice he originated. It is one way to keep the pressure on for fair redistricting and remind our fellow citizens that redistricting still has to happen this year. RSVP now! 

On June 7th, IMAN Associates, a member of the All IN for Democracy coalition for redistricting reform, joined other organizations in holding “Prayer for Democracy: Bringing Faith Communities into the Redistricting Conversation.” 
Common Cause Indiana, Faith in Indiana, League of Women Voters Indiana, Citizens Action Coalition, the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation and IMAN associates held the virtual webinar to bring attention among Indiana faith communities to the upcoming redistricting process. Our Public Policy Advisor, Hazem Bata, participated in the event and urged attendees to take action on the issue. 
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This report from the Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission underscores that Hoosiers want more competitive legislative districts that prioritize communities of interest together. As our lawmakers prepare to draw the district maps for the next decade of elections, we must demand that they draw fair maps. Will you add your voice to our petition?

On the heels of the horrific Fedex shooting that took place on the early hours of April 16, IMAN Associates, with the Central Indiana mosques and Islamic organizations, issued a joint statement condemning such a heart rendering crime and calling on the Indiana General Assembly to pass common sense gun control legislation that ban automatic assault weapons, as well as improve gun safety laws that protect Hoosiers and stand in the way of losing more lives. 
We stand in solidarity and grief with the Sikh community and the families who lost loved ones. If you want to take action and support the families of the victims, please visit Indianapolis Fedex Shooting Fundraisers.

One of the bills that has been on IMAN Associates’ watch list is Senate Bill353. This bill is currently pending in the House Committee on Election and Apportionment. It is on schedule to be heard on April 6, 2021.
We rise in opposition to this bill because it restricts Hoosier's ability to vote and does not withstand even modest scrutiny. SB353 (among other things) requires Hoosiers to present proof of citizenship when voting. On the surface this seems reasonable; after all, only citizens are allowed to vote. However, proof of citizenship is already required when registering to vote. Requiring proof of citizenship again when voting has been shown to disproportionately decrease voting among the poor and ethnic minorities. This is unacceptable.
SB353 is a solution in search of a problem. There is no evidence of significant voting-fraud in Indiana or any other state for that matter. SB353 needlessly and unfairly restricts voting and does not pass scrutiny.
IMAN Associates Public Policy Advisor, Hazem Bata, will testify against it during the committee hearing. You too can take action. Contact your legislator today and urge them to vote NO on this bill.

On March 23, 2021, Hoosier Action held an interfaith vigil and a call to action at the Indiana Statehouse. “Reclaim Our Future” event provided a space for Hoosiers to grieve the loss of their loved ones to the pandemic in the past year, and to urge legislators to pass legislation that helps them recover from this crisis.
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State Senator Fady Qaddoura attended the event to “stand with all Hoosiers in mourning for those we have lost and in solidarity for those who are struggling.”
IMAN Associates supported this event and reached out to Imam Michael Saahir, Imam of Nur-Allah Islamic Center, to uplift the voice of the Muslim community during the event. Featured on the Indy Star, WLFI and WishTV, Imam Saahir participated in the interfaith vigil and shared comforting words that reflect the Islamic tradition. We thank Hoosier Action for bringing Hoosiers together safely and Imam Michael Saahir for taking part in the event.