A delegation of Muslim American leaders, educators, journalists, and civil society figures concluded a week-long visit to Israel last week, offering a rare and pointed example of Muslim leadership willing to confront extremism, antisemitism, and misinformation through firsthand engagement.
The 13-member delegation toured Israel during December as part of a joint initiative organized by the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) and the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). The visit came amid a global surge in antisemitism following Hamas’s October 7 massacre and growing radicalization across parts of the Muslim world and Western societies alike.
A Partnership Built on Confronting Hatred
The trip reflected a longstanding partnership between AMMWEC and CAM, developed over years of cooperation focused on confronting Jew-hatred and challenging Islamist radicalism through dialogue, education, and moral clarity.
The delegation was led by AMMWEC founder and CEO Anila Ali, a Muslim civil rights advocate known for her outspoken opposition to extremism. Participants included educators, journalists, religious leaders, veterans, and interfaith activists from the United States and the broader Muslim world.
Among them were Wajid Ali Syed, founder of the Abraham Publishing & Research Center; Soraya M. Deen, a lawyer and founder of the Muslim Women Speakers Movement; Farhana Khorshed, executive director of the New England Bangladeshi American Foundation; Imam Musa Drammeh, president of Muslims Israel Dialogue; Sitara Naheed, a journalist and co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable for Bangladesh; and Loay Alshareef, a Muslim peace advocate and linguist based in the United Arab Emirates.
It marked the second AMMWEC delegation to Israel in recent years, following a solidarity visit shortly after the October 7 massacre in 2023.
Encountering Israel Beyond the Narrative
Over the course of the week, the delegation traveled to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Galilee, and the Negev, engaging with Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, Circassian, and Bahá’í communities. They met with religious leaders, educators, civil society figures, and security experts, gaining an unfiltered view of Israel’s social fabric and security challenges.
Delegates also met survivors of the October 7 Hamas attacks and visited communities near Israel’s borders, confronting the human toll of terrorism and the consequences of extremist violence.
For many participants, one theme emerged repeatedly: the reality of religious freedom in Israel.
“What I wanted to show the Muslims in my delegation was religious freedom in action,” Ali said. “In Israel, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Druze, Bahá’ís, all live openly and practice their faith freely. Many of these minorities are persecuted across the Middle East, yet they live here because there is true religious freedom. Seeing that firsthand challenges everything people are told about Israel.”
Delegation members visited the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and sites sacred to multiple faiths, experiences many said contradicted prevailing narratives in Muslim and Western discourse alike.
A Moral Challenge to the Muslim World
Some participants used the visit to deliver blunt messages about responsibility within the Muslim world itself.
“For 57 OIC members with vast land, enormous resources, and hundreds of millions of people, to spend decades trying to destroy one small nation is morally bankrupt,” Imam Musa Drammeh said. “If Muslims want Palestine, they must secure Israel. You cannot have Palestine at the expense of Israel. That is the message we want to send.”
The delegation also participated in an interfaith menorah-lighting ceremony in Tel Aviv to mark the fourth night of Hanukkah, underscoring themes of coexistence and shared civic space.
Leadership Willing to Defy the Crowd
CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa described the delegation as an example of leadership that is increasingly rare.
“I’ve known Anila Ali for years, and she represents the kind of Muslim leadership that confronts extremism directly, thinks independently, and speaks the truth even when it goes against the grain,” Roytman said. “Leaders like this come to Israel, see the reality on the ground, and then return home equipped to challenge lies and lead from a position of knowledge.”
Throughout the visit, participants emphasized the importance of seeing Israel firsthand rather than relying on social media narratives, activist framing, or ideological filters.
Responsibility After the Visit
As the trip concluded, delegation members stressed their responsibility to share what they witnessed with their communities in the United States and beyond. Several highlighted the urgency of reaching younger audiences, particularly as online disinformation, campus radicalization, and Islamist propaganda continue to gain traction.
For the participants, the visit was not framed as symbolic solidarity, but as a starting point, a call to leadership rooted in truth, moral courage, and a willingness to confront extremism wherever it appears.