On May 3rd, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network presented an Immigrant Liberty Award to Veterans for American Ideals leader Maytham Alshadood. The award honors the outstanding contributions of immigrants and advocates in the Denver area. 

It had been a whirlwind two-and-a-half days with an incredible group of veterans. More than seventy of us had descended on Washington, D.C. to train, share meals, trade stories about war and home, and on that day, fan out across Capitol Hill to talk to members of Congress about the importance of following through on our commitment to wartime allies. 

Ramadan began this week and 1.8 billion people in the world are observing, fasting from sunup to sundown each day for the next month. Not Muslim but hoping to be considerate of your observant friends, neighbors, or colleagues? Check out this helpful etiquette guide—you might learn something new. And Ramadan Mubarak to all celebrating!

What Service Means to Me: An Evening of Stories from Veterans, Refugees, and Service Year Alumni

Tuesday, September 11th from 6-9 p.m.; Location TBD in Washington, DC

Service can be an extraordinary, transformative experience that enriches your life and your community. It can take countless forms: education, the environment, disaster relief, healthcare, military, and many more. Anyone can serve – and everyone has a story.

The administration must resettle at least 3,750 refugees each month to meet the historically low goal of admitting 45,000 refugees for Fiscal Year 2018. On Wednesday, Refugee Council USA released their April report card tracking refugee arrivals. It revealed that only 1,639 refugees arrived last month. The United States must do far more to remain committed to the safety of the world’s most vulnerable.

CNN spent a year interviewing more than one hundred American Muslims, asking who they think are the most influential members of their faith in their fields. Check out the list, which includes Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, Congressman Keith Ellison, to Imam Suhaib Webb, known as the “Snapchat imam.”

By Scott Cooper

Last week, 75 Vets for American Ideals leaders—veterans and wartime allies from Iraq and Afghanistan—gathered in Washington, D.C. for our third VFAI Leader Convening.

This week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a report revealing that the Muslim Ban increased violence and anti-Muslim discrimination across the United States. The CAIR report recorded 464 incidents pertaining to the ban and highlighted that hate crimes against Muslims rose 15 percent last year. “Like any person in America, irrespective of religion or race, American Muslims deserve to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.”

This Monday, David Miliband—president of the International Rescue Committee—reminded us that the United States continues to retreat from the principles that have long made our country a global beacon. Miliband cautioned that if current refugee resettlement trends continue, the United States may have no resettlement program at the end of this administration.