An-Nas stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the people protesting across the United States following the recent murder of George Floyd by a police officer who was called to an Arab-American owned convenience store. The murder of George Floyd is one on a long list of other Black Americans who have had their lives stolen by racist violence at the hands of police, citizens, and carceral institutions throughout centuries of slavery, segregation, police brutality, and a racist justice system in the United States.
Solidarity with oppressed people and social justice are core principles of An-Nas. An-Nas believes people have the right to live in safety regardless of their skin color, identities, and beliefs. We condemn police and military violence against protestors fighting for freedom in Minnesota, the Middle East, South Asia, and beyond. We acknowledge that many of our freedoms in the United States today are due to generations-long rebellions and efforts during and prior to the Civil Rights movement. This struggle continues today.
Our statement would be insincere if we did not confront the rampant anti-Black racism in the Arab-American, Desi-American, and non-Black Muslim American communities that led to the police being called for a nonviolent presence of a Black man that ultimately led to his murder. From trapped migrant workers seeking rights in Lebanon, to the modern day slave trapping in Libya, and Arab owned stores exploiting Black communities in the United States, non-Black Arabs and People of Color need to urgently address the repercussions of their racism and racial privilege. An-Nas will continue holding events and discussions on these issues, keeping racial justice a core principle of our organization, combatting racism in the larger secular movement, and amplifying the voices of Black humanist organizations.