The Executive Director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid, faces multiple hate calls and threatening text messages, according to the AJP Action statement. The disclosure occurs during a period when Muslim advocacy groups throughout the United States face an unprecedented amount of legal and political attacks.
The threatening messages sent to Abu Irshaid demonstrate how pro-Palestinian activists in America face increasing levels of intimidation. The AMP leader experienced previous threats to his safety when he received death threats from people who claimed to represent the Palestinian Authority because of his opposition to PA policies in September 2021.
Legal Battles Intensify Against Muslim Organizations
I read that American Muslims, for Palestine, now face challenges at the local and state levels. On September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in New Jersey. The lawsuit says American Muslims for Palestine, also known as AMP, and other groups tried to intimidate worshippers from practicing their religion. The claim comes from the George Washington University Program on Extremism.
I have been watching this case. At the time, the Virginia Attorney General’s office had been looking into AMP since October 2023. The Virginia Attorney General’s office is checking claims that AMP used money for purposes under state law, as the quote says, “for purposes, under state law, including benefiting or providing support to terrorist organizations.” In January 2025, the Virginia Attorney General’s office filed a petition to force AMP to follow its Civil Investigative Demand after AMP did not hand over the requested documents. The case is still open.
Broader Climate of Anti-Muslim Targeting
The threats against Abu Irshaid occur within a climate of escalating targeting of Muslim civil rights organizations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated in August 2025 that designating CAIR as a terrorist organization is “in the works,” prompting CAIR General Counsel Lena Masri to send a letter criticizing his “senseless” comments as attempts to “weaponize federal terrorism laws against CAIR and other American Muslim institutions based on a debunked conspiracy theory”.
CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, recently filed its fourth lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott after he designated the organization as a foreign terrorist organization. Masri stated, “No civil rights organization is secure if a governor can arbitrarily label any of them as terrorist organizations.”
Future Perspective
Civil rights advocates warn that the targeting of prominent Muslim organizations could further marginalize American Muslim communities and “fuel Islamophobia, endanger innocent lives, and undermine the values of justice and equality”. Over 3,000 arrests occurred on U.S. campuses for pro-Palestine protests between October 2023 and May 2024, according to data from the University of California, Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute.
The outcome of ongoing investigations and legal proceedings against AMP and other pro-Palestinian organizations will likely shape the future landscape of Muslim advocacy and First Amendment protections in America.