WHAT IS POLIGON?
"Oh you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God." (Holy Quran 4:135)
Poligon Education Fund (Poligon) is a national, non-profit organization that launched in January 2017 to increase American Muslim participation on Capitol Hill.
At the time, anti-Muslim sentiment in the public and private spheres had reached its highest levels since 9/11. Children were being bullied in schools by both teachers and peers, men and women perceived to be Muslim faced daily public harassment, and anti-shariah legislation, passed and pending in states around the country, threatened to eliminate fundamental rights of Muslims to pray, fast, and give charity as prescribed by their faith. To make matters worse, after a contentious Presidential election that vilified Islam and Muslims, President Trump issued travel ban barring Muslims from entering the U.S.
It is no coincidence that U.S. public opinion of Muslims and Islam is at an all time low when our community is also the least likely faith group to be politically engaged. A 2019 ISPU study commissioned by Poligon and other Muslim civic engagement groups showed that only 17% of American Muslims had contacted their Members of Congress in the last year, the lowest of all faith groups. This lack of participation creates missed opportunities that not only negatively affect our community, but also impede pluralism and limit our individual and collective power. We believe that Muslim Americans and allies should be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and access to participate in the democratic process.
Poligon seeks to amplify Muslim voices in Congress in two ways:
1) training the community on how to engage with their elected officials and educating them about the policies that impact them
2) educating and advocating with policymakers to promote positive policy change on issues such as civil rights, Islamophobia, and social, racial, and economic justice.
We work alongside many other national organizations in the Muslim civic engagement space (such as MPower Change, JetPac, Emgage, MPAC, America Indivisible, and CAIR) to coordinate our efforts and make maximum impact in the community.
In doing so, we seek to create an America where Muslims and allies feel empowered to make their voices heard in the halls of Congress and Congressional representatives actively seek their input in the policy making process.
At the time, anti-Muslim sentiment in the public and private spheres had reached its highest levels since 9/11. Children were being bullied in schools by both teachers and peers, men and women perceived to be Muslim faced daily public harassment, and anti-shariah legislation, passed and pending in states around the country, threatened to eliminate fundamental rights of Muslims to pray, fast, and give charity as prescribed by their faith. To make matters worse, after a contentious Presidential election that vilified Islam and Muslims, President Trump issued travel ban barring Muslims from entering the U.S.
It is no coincidence that U.S. public opinion of Muslims and Islam is at an all time low when our community is also the least likely faith group to be politically engaged. A 2019 ISPU study commissioned by Poligon and other Muslim civic engagement groups showed that only 17% of American Muslims had contacted their Members of Congress in the last year, the lowest of all faith groups. This lack of participation creates missed opportunities that not only negatively affect our community, but also impede pluralism and limit our individual and collective power. We believe that Muslim Americans and allies should be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and access to participate in the democratic process.
Poligon seeks to amplify Muslim voices in Congress in two ways:
1) training the community on how to engage with their elected officials and educating them about the policies that impact them
2) educating and advocating with policymakers to promote positive policy change on issues such as civil rights, Islamophobia, and social, racial, and economic justice.
We work alongside many other national organizations in the Muslim civic engagement space (such as MPower Change, JetPac, Emgage, MPAC, America Indivisible, and CAIR) to coordinate our efforts and make maximum impact in the community.
In doing so, we seek to create an America where Muslims and allies feel empowered to make their voices heard in the halls of Congress and Congressional representatives actively seek their input in the policy making process.
