American Muslims for Palestine, a national pro-Palestinian advocacy nonprofit, has launched a new chapter serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, even as Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares continues an investigation into the group’s fundraising practices and alleged links to support for terrorism, which the organization denies. The group announced the DMV expansion over the weekend through social media and public statements, saying it aims to bolster local organizing, education, and boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns focused on Palestinian rights.
New Chapter Targets Regional Advocacy
The new chapter will coordinate activities across the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region, an area AMP describes as “deeply complicit in upholding and funding the Zionist occupation.” In a statement first reported by the Daily Caller and carried by The National Desk, the organization said, “We recognize our responsibility to advance principled action in supporting [boycott, divestment and sanctions] efforts locally and challenging the political structures that enable genocide.”
AMP urged supporters to “get involved to support local and regional advocacy efforts for the liberation of the Palestinian people,” according to a post on its official Instagram account cited by The National Desk. The group said the DMV chapter will focus on political and religious education in local mosques, cultural and historical programming, and support for Muslim Student Associations on college and high school campuses.
“We are committed to providing political and Islamic education in our masajid, offering cultural and historical education and equipping our College and high school [Muslim Student Associations] with the political guidance, teach-ins and tools they need to build informed and unapologetic student power,” AMP said in its statement, according to the Daily Caller.
Long-Running Legal Scrutiny in Virginia
The launch comes as AMP, through its fiscal sponsor AJP Educational Foundation, remains under civil investigation by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. In October 2023, the Attorney General issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) seeking records related to alleged noncompliance with Virginia’s charitable solicitation law and whether solicited funds may have been used for impermissible purposes, including “benefiting or providing support to terrorist organizations,” according to a January 2025 and May 2025 series of news releases from the Attorney General’s office.
After AMP challenged the CID in Richmond City Circuit Court, the court denied its petition in July 2024 and later ordered the organization to comply, rejecting what Attorney General Miyares described as “legal delay tactics.” “When charitable organizations operating in Virginia fail to follow the law, my office has a duty to act,” Miyares said in a May 2025 statement, adding that he would “continue to ensure that charitable organizations operating in Virginia follow the law.” The investigation remains ongoing, and the Attorney General’s office has said it will not comment further while oversight continues.
Organization’s Mission and Denials
American Muslims for Palestine, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, describes itself as a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to educating Americans about Palestinian rights and mobilizing political advocacy. According to its official website, AMP works through conferences, workshops and campaigns, and supports BDS initiatives targeting companies and institutions it says enable Israeli policies toward Palestinians.
AMP has consistently rejected allegations that it supports terrorism. The National Desk, citing the Daily Caller, reported that while some of the group’s leaders have previously been associated with charities later shut down for allegedly benefiting terrorist organizations, AMP itself denies providing material support to any such groups. The organization presents its work as peaceful advocacy and education within U.S. legal frameworks, including coalition-building with other activist networks.
National Footprint and Intensifying Debate
Beyond the new DMV chapter, AMP maintains chapters in regions including the Bay Area, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and North Carolina, according to The National Desk. The Anti-Defamation League and NGO Monitor describe AMP as a central player in U.S.-based anti-Zionist and BDS organizing, noting its involvement in national advocacy events and protests, including activity around the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
The group’s expansion comes amid heightened public attention to pro-Palestinian activism since the escalation of conflict in Gaza in 2023, which has driven large demonstrations and campus campaigns across the United States. Legal experts say the outcome of Virginia’s investigation could shape how states oversee politically active nonprofits that engage in contentious international issues, particularly where allegations of material support for terrorism intersect with protected political advocacy.
As the DMV chapter begins operations, AMP’s leaders aim to build what they call “informed and unapologetic student power” while state authorities in Virginia continue to press for full compliance with investigative demands. Any future court rulings or enforcement actions in the case are likely to influence both the organization’s activities in the region and the broader landscape of pro-Palestinian advocacy nationwide.