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Montgomery County proclaims January Muslim American Heritage Month
Summary
The Montgomery County Council issued a proclamation Jan. 14 recognizing Muslim American Heritage Month, highlighting local Muslim contributions, community services, and calls to report anti-Muslim hate. Community leaders urged continued outreach and named local organizations providing services.
The Montgomery County Council on Jan. 14 issued a proclamation recognizing January as Muslim American Heritage Month and invited community leaders to the dais to mark the observance.
The proclamation and brief remarks emphasized the size and diversity of Maryland’s Muslim community and urged residents and county agencies to report Islamophobia and investigate incidents of anti-Muslim bias. Council President read the proclamation and invited community leaders to speak before the council recessed for the day.
Saba Rashid, president of the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation, said Montgomery County is one of the most diverse counties in the nation and described local Muslim-led charitable work. "Our mission is to feed the hungry and serve the needy and work towards a more hate-free and a hunger-free county," Rashid said, noting that the foundation served roughly 80,000 people and distributed about $500,000 in food aid in 2024. She said the foundation serves all residents regardless of race, color or religion.
Adela Sharif, co-chair of the Muslim cohort of the Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force and a member of the Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention, thanked the council for acting on recommendations from the task force. "We made the recommendations. You made it happen," Sharif said, and urged continued collaboration among county agencies, faith groups and community partners to reduce hate and promote inclusion.
The council’s proclamation text cited national and local statistics included in the record: it says more than 2 billion people worldwide are Muslim, that about 350,000 Muslim Americans from roughly 60 countries live in Maryland, and that Muslims make up about 3% of Montgomery County residents. The proclamation also noted survey findings included in the record about discrimination: it states that nearly half of Muslim Americans report experiencing religious discrimination, rising to about 64% for those whose appearance identifies them as Muslim.
Speakers at the event also included representatives from the congressional delegation offices and a state delegate in the audience; the council acknowledged guests from Senator Van Hollen’s and Congressman Raskin’s offices and Delegate Sarah Wallach of Annapolis. The council paused for photographs after the proclamation and called attention to related programming and Ramadan observances later in the month.
The county thanked community partners and the Islamic Center of Maryland for providing the morning breakfast that preceded the council session. The proclamation encouraged residents, employers and employees to learn more about Muslim American history and culture and to report incidents of Islamophobia to enforcement agencies.
The council recessed for the afternoon and continued general business later in the day.
