WHEREAS, Freedom of religion holds the distinction of being a cherished right and a fundamental value upon which the law and ethics of the United States are based; and

WHEREAS, Civil rights groups report that there continues to be an increase in the vandalism at mosques, intimidation, bullying, and hate speech targeted at American Muslims, including the March burning of a mosque in Escondido, California; and

WHEREAS, Enriched by the unparalleled diversity of its residents, the State of California takes great pride in supporting individual religious freedoms and is strengthened by the diverse religious, political, and cultural traditions of its residents, including Americans who practice Islam; and

WHEREAS, Approximately one million American Muslims currently reside in California, the highest number of any state in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The American Muslim community is recognized as having made innumerable contributions to the cultural, political, and economic fabric and well-being of California and the United States; and

WHEREAS, American Muslims have long served in the nation’s Armed Forces and fought in all major United States wars, from the American Revolutionary War to modern conflicts today, with some American Muslims making the ultimate sacrifice in combat; and

WHEREAS, The first all-women mosque was opened in Los Angeles, California in 2015, creating a safe space for American Muslim women to become empowered and create a network of resources to allow for shared growth and respect among different communities; and

WHEREAS, Zaytuna College, located in Berkeley, California, is the first accredited Muslim undergraduate college in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The University Muslim Medical Association (UMMA) Community Clinic is the first American Muslim founded community-based health organization in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America’s largest civil liberties group whose mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims, and in 2019, its national organization and California chapter celebrate their 25th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, California is home to several prominent Muslim figures who continue to make significant contributions to the State of California and the United States as business owners, legal professionals, doctors, engineers, teachers, farmers, and in many other great, notable capacities; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Shamim Ibrahim, a Muslim psychologist and counselor with the Los Angeles Unified School District, founded Niswa Association, Inc. in 1990, a nonprofit, community-based, social service organization based in Harbor City, California, that works toward the well-being of South Asian, Afghan, and Middle Eastern immigrant women; and

WHEREAS, The late Moustapha Akkad, producer of the famous Hollywood horror movie series “Halloween,” “The Message,” and “The Lion of the Desert,” was a Syrian American immigrant to California, and a student at both the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California; and

WHEREAS, Ahmed Zewail was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 and was a professor of chemistry and physics at the California Institute of Technology; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ayub Khan Ommaya invented the Ommaya reservoir that is used to provide chemotherapy directly to the tumor site for brain tumors and was also the leading expert in traumatic brain injuries; and

WHEREAS, Nagi Daifallah played an important role for the United Farm Workers (UFW) in the 1970s by serving as a translator and was killed during a nonviolent protest and is remembered by the UFW as a martyr; and

WHEREAS, Ibtihaj Muhammad, a saber fencer, became the first female American Muslim athlete to earn a medal at the Olympic Games in 2016 and was also the first fencer to wear a hijab; and

WHEREAS, Halim Dhanidina was the first American Muslim to be appointed as a judge in California with his appointment to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2012, and in 2018, his appointment to the Second District Court of Appeal would make him the first American Muslim justice in the history of the California Courts of Appeal; and

WHEREAS, University of California, Berkeley student Sadia Saifuddin was appointed as the first American Muslim student regent to the Board of Regents of the University of California in 2014; and

WHEREAS, Mahershala Ali, born in Oakland and raised in Hayward, California, became the first American Muslim actor to win an Academy Award for his performance in the film “Moonlight” in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Aziz Akbari became the youngest American Muslim to be elected into office in the United States when he won a seat on the Board of Directors of the Alameda County Water District; and

WHEREAS, Mokhtar Alkhanshali is the founder of Port of Mokha and protagonist of Dave Egger’s book “The Monk of Mokha,” highlighting his journey as a social entrepreneur and his harrowing escape from war-torn Yemen, and is credited with the Yemeni coffee market’s reemergence and notoriety; and

WHEREAS, It is appropriate to acknowledge and promote awareness of the myriad invaluable contributions of American Muslims in California and across the country, and extend to them the respect and camaraderie every American deserves; now, therefore, be it