RICHMOND, Va. (DC News Now) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said that the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section started an investigation into AJP Educational Foundation, Inc. — also known as American Muslims for Palestine — for potential violations of Virginia’s Charitable Organization Registration and Licensure.
The Attorney General’s Office said it had reason to believe that American Muslims for Palestine may be soliciting contributions in Virginia without first having registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture.
The office will be investigating allegations that the organization may have used funds raised for prohibited purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations.
The nonprofit’s offices are located in Falls Church, Virginia, and by law, the Attorney General has the right to investigate.
DC News Now reached out to the Americans for Justice in Palestine organization for comment regarding the investigation and they provided a statement saying:
This latest attempt to smear and silence American Muslims who speak up for Palestinian human rights is not only defamatory, but dangerous.
Right now, American Muslims are facing a rising tide of hate: attacks on peaceful protesters, doxxing of college students, bomb threats against events, and even the brutal murder of a 6-year-old boy in Chicago.
Instead of working to protect the people of Virginia from the wave of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian hate sweeping across our nation, Jason Miyares is contributing to the hate with tired Islamophobic tropes and promises of a witch hunt straight from the McCarthy-era.
American Muslims for Palestine is a duly registered non-profit organization that has stood up for justice here and abroad for over a decade in compliance with the law. If Attorney General Miyares has identified an issue with our license to fundraise in Virginia, that is a common and easily resolvable civil issue that many non-profits face and fix. By publicly making this dishonest public announcement, Mr. Miyares is clearly attempting to score political points with hateful extremists.
As an organization of American Muslims dedicated to speaking up for the human rights of the Palestinian people, we refuse to allow empty threats and baseless smears to stop us from advocating for a just and humane American foreign policy in Palestine and elsewhere. We are currently in consultation with our legal team to ensure our work continues and our constitutional rights are protected.
Statement from American Muslims for Palestine
