On Wednesday, more than 60 national, regional, and state faith-based, civil rights, and human rights organizations – including Muslim, Jewish, and Christian groups – sent a joint letter to US Senator Bill Cassidy, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, to express strong support for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and to oppose his politically motivated investigation into the group.

A US senator’s move against a Muslim movement that supports Palestine has been opposed by over 60 groups.

On Wednesday, more than 60 national, regional, and state faith-based, civil rights, and human rights organizations – including Muslim, Jewish, and Christian groups – sent a joint letter to US Senator Bill Cassidy, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, to express strong support for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and to oppose his politically motivated investigation into the group.

The letter responds directly to remarks made by Senator Cassidy during the March 27 Senate HELP Committee hearing titled “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus,” where he announced plans to investigate AMP and made false and inflammatory claims about the organization and pro-Palestinian student protesters.

The organizations affirm that AMP is firmly committed to nonviolent advocacy in pursuit of basic human rights and dignity for the Palestinian people. They note that AMP’s leadership and membership include American citizens who, under the Constitution’s protection of free expression, feel obligated to voice legitimate concerns about the US government’s one-sided policies in the Middle East and the ongoing catastrophe faced by the Palestinian people, including acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, military occupation, and apartheid.

The letter criticizes Senator Cassidy’s effort as a biased attack on constitutionally protected speech and peaceful advocacy. It warns that his claims are based on discredited anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian tropes, not evidence. It also raises concern about a broader pattern in Congress of targeting Muslim-led and pro-Palestinian organizations through unfounded accusations and partisan inquiries reminiscent of the McCarthy era, when suspicion and accusation were used to silence dissent and criminalize constitutionally protected beliefs and associations.

The letter firmly calls on Senator Cassidy to:

- Withdraw your investigation into AMP, which is based on untested allegations and risks chilling vital public discourse,

- Acknowledge the importance of First Amendment rights, including campus protest and dissent,

- Engage in dialogue with AMP and other Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, and allied American organizations to understand their work instead of relying on biased sources.

The groups also push back on Senator Cassidy’s separate letters to the FBI and DOJ, which ask how those agencies plan to investigate “outside groups” on college campuses. These requests suggest that pro-Palestinian protests are being orchestrated by foreign actors or visa-holding students, rather than driven by the conscience and outrage of American youth. The letter calls that framing both dangerous and false.

“The claim that large-scale, organic campus protests are being coordinated by outside forces ignores the clear reality of widespread American opposition to civilian harm, including the US-backed genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. It also disrespects the intelligence and moral agency of young Americans, who are our future leaders,” the letter says.

It also notes that over the past year, several House and Senate committees have escalated these efforts, calling for investigations into Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, and even Jewish organizations advocating for Palestinian human rights. Some lawmakers have supported the illegal deportation of students who attended anti-genocide protests, while others have introduced bills like the so-called “Nonprofit Killer Bill” to suppress disfavored political speech.

“Our organizations and communities will not be intimidated or silenced by these actions,” the letter concludes.

National signatories include: Abolitionist Law Center, American Friends Service Committee, American Muslim Community Foundation, Center for Constitutional Rights, CAIR, CAIR Action, Charity & Security Network, Children of Adam, Combating Islamophobia Forum – The March 15th Forum, Deen Institute of North America, Defending Rights & Dissent, Full Disclosure Films, Friends of Sabeel North America, Islamic Association of North America, ICNA, Islamophobia Studies Center, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Libyan American Alliance, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Advocates, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), MAS, Palestine Legal, The Mosque Cares | Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, United Hands Relief, USCMO, U.S. Palestinian Community Network.