Shia Muslim Foundation Meets with Montgomery County Police to Discuss Community Safety

SMF praises county's commitment to protecting Muslim institutions amid rising national wave of Islamophobia

(April 6, 2026 - SILVER SPRING, MD) The Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) today met with Montgomery County Police Department 3rd District Commander Jason Cokinos and Officer Brandon McCloud to discuss community safety concerns affecting the local Shia Muslim community.

Discussions focused on the security of Idara-e-Jaferia, one of the largest and most established Shia Muslim institutions in the Washington metropolitan area. Located in Burtonsville, Maryland, Idara-e-Jaferia has served the Shia Muslim community for decades as a center for religious practice, education, and civic engagement. In recent months, the institution has been the target of threatening communications and harassment, prompting SMF to escalate outreach to law enforcement and government officials at the local, state, and federal levels.

SMF commended Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Police Department for their longstanding responsiveness to the concerns of Muslim communities. The county has consistently demonstrated a willingness to engage with faith communities, treat threats to Muslim institutions seriously, and act with urgency when those communities are at risk.

"Montgomery County has been a model for how local government should engage with Muslim communities," said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of SMF. "Commander Cokinos came to this meeting prepared, attentive, and serious. The Shia Muslim community is fortunate to be in a county whose law enforcement reflects the values of inclusion and public safety for all."

A Pattern of Threats and a Worsening National Climate

The concerns raised today did not emerge in isolation. Idara-e-Jaferia has faced a documented pattern of security incidents in recent years. In December 2023, the institution was evacuated during Friday congregational prayers after a caller phoned in a bomb threat. CAIR called on state and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, to investigate and pursue hate crime charges against the perpetrator. That incident was part of a broader spike in threats against American Muslim institutions that intensified following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October 2023.

The national backdrop has only grown more alarming since. A 2025 CAIR report documented 8,658 complaints about anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents in 2024, a 7.4 percent increase year over year and the highest number recorded since CAIR began collecting data in 1996. The ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran has accelerated this trend. Civil rights experts have noted a troubling rise in Islamophobia reaching the highest levels of government, with members of Congress publicly stating that "Muslims don't belong in American society" and amplifying dehumanizing rhetoric online. A data brief from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate found posts online framing American mosques as enemy infrastructure and calling for their destruction, language that researchers warn has historically preceded real-world violence against targeted communities.

Shia Muslims face an additional layer of vulnerability in this environment. As a minority within the broader Muslim community, Shia institutions have at times been targeted not only by generalized Islamophobia but also by sectarian animus and by those who conflate Shia religious identity with Iranian state politics. The current conflict has sharpened that risk considerably. SMF has raised these concerns directly with federal, state, and local officials as part of a sustained outreach effort that includes congressional offices and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security.

About the Shia Muslim Foundation

The Shia Muslim Foundation is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2020. SMF advocates for the civic rights and welfare of Shia Muslims and works to foster meaningful engagement between the Shia Muslim community and government institutions, law enforcement, and civil society.

SHIA MUSLIM FOUNDATION APPLAUDS POPE LEO XIV'S CALL FOR CEASEFIRE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

SMF Joins the Pontiff in Urging an Immediate End to Violence and a Return to Dialogue

WASHINGTON, D.C. The Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) today praised Pope Leo XIV for his bold and morally unambiguous call for a ceasefire in the ongoing U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Speaking during his Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, the Pope delivered his strongest statement since the conflict began seventeen days ago, and SMF stands fully behind it.

“On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East and all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict. Cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened. Violence can never lead to the justice, stability, and peace that the people are waiting for." — Pope Leo XIV, Angelus Address, March 15, 2026

The Pope’s remarks arrive as civilian casualties mount across the region. Iranian authorities and rights organizations estimate that between 1,200 and 1,300 civilians have been killed since hostilities began on February 28. Among the most devastating incidents was a missile strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, on the first day of the conflict, which killed an estimated 165 to 180 people, most of them children. The Vatican’s own newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, ran an aerial photograph of the mass grave being dug for those young victims under the headline “The Face of War.” The Pope specifically referenced attacks on schools, hospitals, and residential areas, and renewed his closeness to the families of those killed.

As an organization rooted in the Shia Muslim tradition and committed to the dignity of all human life, SMF echoes the Pope’s appeal without reservation. The killing of civilians, regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation, is intolerable. The destruction of schools and hospitals is not a military strategy; it is a moral catastrophe. We call on the United States, Israel, and Iran to heed this call for a ceasefire and to pursue every available avenue of diplomacy before more lives are lost.

“The Pope has said plainly what many world leaders have been unwilling to say: this violence has to stop,” said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation. “We share his conviction that no lasting justice, no genuine stability, and no real peace can emerge from the barrel of a gun. The people of Iran, Lebanon, and the entire Middle East deserve better than this. We add our voice to the chorus rising from every faith and every corner of the world: the bloodshed must end.”

SMF also shares the Pope’s deep concern for Lebanon, where the spillover from the Iran conflict has triggered what aid organizations are describing as a humanitarian crisis. More than 800,000 people have been displaced. The Pope called for paths of dialogue that can support Lebanon’s authorities in finding lasting solutions, and SMF joins in that appeal, particularly on behalf of the vulnerable civilian populations caught in the crossfire.

The Shia Muslim Foundation was founded in 2020 and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to Shia Muslim civic rights, policy advocacy, and humanitarian welfare. SMF urges all parties to the conflict to immediately pursue a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table.

Shia Muslim Foundation calls for immediate ceasefire and urgent return to diplomacy after United States strikes on Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Washington, DC - February 28, 2026) The Shia Muslim Foundation calls for an immediate ceasefire following the United States and Israeli strikes on Iran and the retaliatory attacks that followed. The current trajectory risks rapid regional escalation, civilian casualties, and long term destabilization.

World leaders have resoundingly called for a return to peace.

"I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace and security," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. "I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability. I strongly encourage all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table," he said. "I reiterate that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN Charter."

"We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life," French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a joint statement, adding that they wanted a resumption of negotiations.

Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide rejected the legal framing of a preventive strike and warned against a wider war. (Reuters) Oman publicly lamented the collapse of talks it had been facilitating, underscoring the cost of abandoning diplomacy. (Reuters) Russia condemned the strikes as armed aggression and called for an immediate end to the military campaign. (AP News)

“The region does not need another open ended conflict,” said Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation. “The Shia Muslim Foundation calls for an immediate ceasefire, rapid diplomatic engagement through the United Nations, and sustained negotiations to prevent more loss of life."

The Shia Muslim Foundation urges:

1. An immediate ceasefire and halt to all further strikes and reprisals

2. An urgent United Nations Security Council session focused on de escalation, civilian protection, and a diplomatic off ramp

3. Public commitments from all parties to comply with international law and protect civilians, including critical infrastructure

4. Renewed diplomacy with credible intermediaries, including states that have already worked to host negotiations

The Shia Muslim Foundation also calls on United States policymakers to prioritize restraint and diplomacy. Military escalation will predictably trigger retaliation, broaden the battlefield, and place civilians across the region at heightened risk.

About the Shia Muslim Foundation

The Shia Muslim Foundation is a Washington, DC based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to support the civic rights of American Shia Muslims and advocate on issues affecting Shia communities worldwide.

Media Contact

Farhana Kassamali

farhana@shiamuslimfoundation.com