By Mutiu Olawuyi

Muslim American women’s leader Anila Ali, founder and president of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council, has said her participation in New York’s Israel Day Parade was driven by what she described as a moral obligation to stand against antisemitism and defend Jewish safety.

Ali said she joined the parade because she believes Muslim leaders must not allow religion to be used to divide Muslims and Jews or to justify hatred.

“As a Muslim American faith leader, I walked in the Israel Day Parade because this was a moral moment,” Ali said. “Islam is not a weapon to dehumanize Jews. Islam is not a political tool to delegitimize Israel.”

Ali said Muslims, Jews, and Christians belong to the Abrahamic family and must not allow extremists or politicians to turn faith into a tool of division.

“I marched because Jewish New Yorkers deserve protection, dignity, and solidarity,” she said. “They should not be abandoned while they are being harassed, intimidated, and attacked.”

Her remarks come amid growing public debate over antisemitism, Islamophobia, Israel, Gaza, and interfaith relations in New York City. Ali argued that standing with Jewish communities does not weaken Muslim identity, but reflects shared Abrahamic values.

“My message to Muslims is this: standing with Jewish people does not make us less Muslim,” she said. “It makes us more faithful to the values of our Abrahamic traditions. My message to Jews is: you are not alone.”

Ali also criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani for not participating in the parade, saying leadership requires showing up for all communities, even amid political disagreement.

“A mayor’s job is to protect every community, not only the communities that fit his ideology,” she said.

Ali said Muslim women leaders have a special responsibility to speak with clarity against antisemitism, extremism, and religious manipulation.

“We cannot allow loud extremists, political opportunists, or ideological bullies to define Islam for us,” she said. “We must say clearly that antisemitism is wrong, dehumanizing Jews is wrong, and delegitimizing Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people is wrong.”

She added that Jewish safety, Muslim safety, and American democracy are connected.
“If Jews are not safe in New York, then no minority community is truly safe,” Ali said.

Beyond the parade, Ali said AMMWEC will continue building partnerships with Jewish organizations, civic leaders, schools, law enforcement, and media platforms. She said the moment must grow into a sustained movement of protection, education, and courage.

“We need Muslim-Jewish women’s leadership circles, joint Shabbat and Iftar gatherings, school programs on antisemitism and Islamophobia, campus conversations against radicalization, and media platforms that elevate moderate Muslim voices who believe in peace and pluralism,” she said.

Ali also called for stronger civic cooperation to ensure that harassment and attacks against Jewish New Yorkers are treated seriously.

“Hate must have consequences,” she said.

“Intimidation outside synagogues, harassment of Jewish students, and attacks on Jewish families must be treated with seriousness and urgency.”

Her comments were echoed by Sheikh Musa Drammeh, founder and President of Muslims-Israel Dialogue, longtime Bronx-based interfaith and peace advocate, who said Muslim participation in the Israel Day Parade was a necessary response to rising antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility.

“Under the current condition of rising antisemitism and globalized anti-Israel, righteous Muslim leaders are taking the lead to counter both,” Drammeh said. “Participating in the Israel Day Parade on 5th Avenue is part of that leadership.”

Drammeh said many Jewish participants and parade organizers welcomed the presence of Muslim leaders.

“Parade organizers and Jewish participants were so appreciative of Muslim participation,” he said. “We will build it from here.”

Soraya Deen, another Muslim leader who supported participation in the parade, said the gathering helped challenge the idea that Muslims and Jews are destined to remain divided.

“When Muslims march alongside Jews publicly and peacefully, it challenges the false narrative that our communities are destined to be enemies forever,” Deen said.

She added that the parade alone will not resolve global conflict, but can help rebuild trust in New York.

“The parade itself will not solve the Middle East conflict,” Deen said. “But it can help rebuild something essential here in New York: trust, relationships, and understanding.”

Ali said AMMWEC plans to continue the conversation in Washington, D.C., with a conference scheduled for July 13, aimed at uniting communities against antisemitism, extremism, and hate.

“The parade was not the end. It was a beginning,” Ali said. “We marched to say that Muslims and Jews can stand together, and that America must never surrender its streets, its schools, or its public life to hate.”