The Prince Williams County School Board voted 5-1 to table the revision of Policy 060- the “Nondiscrimination and Commitment to Equity” after more than five hours of public comments, delaying the vote until June 2017.
Most opponents were concerned that ‘adding “gender identity” would potentially allow transgender students and staff to choose the bathroom, locker room, showers and athletic team participation of their preferred choice, regardless of biological anatomy’. Many LGBT advocates were in attendance at the school board meeting.
“This policy change would potentially open the use of bathrooms, locker rooms and showers to uncomfortable encounters among children of opposite biological anatomy. Students should not be forced to be exposed to students of the opposite biological gender in a bathroom or locker room. Our students have the right to privacy and they have the right to a non-threatening environment,” shared members of the Catholic Church with its members.
The Virginia Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case about this nondiscrimination policy.
The Muslim Association of Virginia (MAV) was active in the movement against this revision. Rafi Uddin Ahmed, the civic affairs liaison at MAV reached out to every masjid in the county and hundreds of people emailed the school board members. An email was sent out to congregants and other masajid in the area were also contacted. One masjid even handed out flyers to worshipers after salah.
Those concerned about the revision say that transgender youth are bullied and face danger while using the bathrooms in schools. However, opponents say other means of accommodation can be made instead of violating the privacy of the entire school population.
‘Any transgender boy could have used the bathroom with our daughters’ — Ahmed told the county’s Muslim community.
Ahmed attended a meeting held at a local Baptist church where he represented the Muslim Community. They were concerned that the bill would be passed. The local Republicans were feeling helpless and were having difficulty in changing the minds of school board members. “The Republican Party reached out to us we started calling some of the school board that we are close to,” shared Ahmed. “We were able to encourage them not to vote for the bill.”
“Our community is very active and they reacted. It left a very good impression. Our coalition partners thanked us. If it wasn't for the Muslim community, this revision would have passed.”
“Being a minority, I am sensitive to discrimination, however the vast majority did not want to pass this particular revision and other accommodations can be made,” said Ahmed.
“We took a very active role because ...my community kids are my kids,” said Ahmed, whose own children are no longer in the local school system. “I have to protect them … we even sent out an action alert. I reached out to every single masjid in Prince William county. Resulting from that, masajid printed [the action alert] and handed it to members. People emailed each other. Ahmed said that by Saturday morning he had three emails about this issue. School board members got hundreds of emails.
Ahmed thinks that Muslims need to step away from the Muslim lens at times and look at issues with a wider lens. “I love the challenge the Islamophobes give us. It is an opportunity to highlight same values and concerns and show [people of faith] the commonalities in our religions. It's my job to protect the rights of every single child,” he added.
As a civic leader, Ahmed has a straight answer for Muslims who find themselves in an environment where they are faced with the liberal "progressive" wave that seems to be overtaking the nation. “We support where we agree and don't when we don't agree… it’s a long term involvement where you cash in on the capital that you have built … it’s not a one-time shot. We have to work on it year in and year out and then you call in a favor that they may owe you.”
Ahmed says that the purpose of grassroot organizations and national organizations are two different things. He believes that national Muslim organizations should monitor and protect their home. “There has to be a working relationship between local grassroot organizations, national organizations should be looking at bills and guiding grassroots organizations with regard to positions.” Members of the organizations should have a say in what is important to them.
Some suggestions for grassroots activism by those who have spent time in the field are ‘members of your masjid should strive to serve on school boards, commissions, and civic associations and to run for elected office’. “Having Muslims in those positions amplifies the voice of your masjid and the Muslim community, from the grassroots level and up,” added Ahmed.
Grassroots organizations are in the position to call on their senators and congressional representatives to vote or oppose a bill. “That is how we will become effective,” said Ahmed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have unity amongst us. Umbrellas organizations don’t reach out to local organizations and our concerns are not highlighted.”
As the Muslim community continues to grow and mature institutionally, more of these concerns will come to light.
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