SMFNews: What FISA Section 702 Is and Why Muslim Americans Should Pay Attention

Muslim Americans have strong reason to watch the fight over FISA Section 702, a federal surveillance authority that Congress temporarily extended through April 30, 2026. The law is aimed at foreigners abroad, but it can still pull in Americans’ calls, texts, and emails when they communicate with people overseas. That matters for Muslim families, students, business owners, journalists, and activists whose ordinary lives often cross borders.

The short term extension happened after both a longer clean extension and a longer reform bill failed in the House. As the Associated Press reported, Congress settled on a ten day stopgap and President Donald Trump signed it on April 18, keeping Section 702 alive only through the end of this month. The short deadline means the real argument is still ahead: how much surveillance power the government should keep, and what limits should apply when Americans’ communications are swept in.

Section 702 is part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, usually called FISA. It lets the National Security Agency collect communications of non-Americans who are reasonably believed to be outside the United States for foreign intelligence purposes. The government does not need a traditional warrant for each target. Instead, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approves general procedures for how the program operates.

That sounds narrow, but the actual reach is much wider. If an American is texting, emailing, or calling a foreign target, that American’s side of the conversation can be collected too. This is often called incidental collection. A recent staff report from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) said Section 702 remains one of the country’s most valuable foreign intelligence tools, while also acknowledging that it has serious privacy and civil liberties implications and depends on safeguards, compliance rules, and oversight.

The main argument for Section 702 is speed. Supporters inside the intelligence community say the program helps the United States track foreign spies, terrorism threats, cyber operations, and kidnapping or assassination plots. The FBI says information acquired under Section 702 has helped it understand and disrupt foreign government plots. Supporters also say Congress tightened the rules in 2024 through the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), and that those reforms should be given time to work.

The main argument against Section 702 is that it still gives the government too much room to search through Americans’ communications without a warrant. Civil liberties critics point to a long record of improper searches and argue that a foreign intelligence tool should not become a back door into Americans’ private messages. That is the core political fight now. One side says new guardrails are enough. The other side says Americans’ data should not be searchable without a judge-signed warrant in the first place.

Why does this land differently in Muslim communities?

Because Muslim Americans have lived through the hard edge of national security law before. In Tanzin v. Tanvir, the Supreme Court allowed Muslim men to seek damages after they said FBI agents placed them on the No Fly List for refusing to act as informants against their religious communities. In FBI v. Fikre, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in 2024 that a Muslim American could keep challenging his placement on the No Fly List after the government removed him from it.

Those were not Section 702 cases, but they show why broad surveillance powers and weak accountability create special fear in communities that have already seen mosque surveillance, informant pressure, and watchlist abuse.

The practical question is not only what Section 702 permits on paper. It is how it works once agencies start using it, how often Americans are caught in the net, and what rules apply when investigators later search that data. A law written for foreign intelligence can still shape domestic life when family ties, business ties, humanitarian work, and religious networks stretch across borders, as they often do in Muslim communities.

SMF Joins National Muslim Leaders for MPAC Security Briefing on Mosque Safety

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 20, 2026

SMF Participates in Inaugural CSTP Quarterly Briefing as Part of Ongoing Federal Advocacy Push for House of Worship Protections

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) joined leaders from across the American Muslim community, including representatives from the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the ADAMS Center, for the inaugural quarterly security briefing hosted by the Muslim Public Affairs Council's (MPAC) Center for Security, Technology, and Policy (CSTP).

The briefing centered on CSTP's newly released April 2026 Security Bulletin, which paints a deeply alarming picture of the threat environment facing Muslim communities across the United States. CSTP has formally assessed the general threat of physical attacks against Muslims as ELEVATED, citing a significant increase in anti-Muslim and mosque threats and violence, including an elevenfold increase in incidents in March alone compared to January 2026. The bulletin is available at mpac.org/cstp.

Documented incidents targeting individuals include a hate crime against a Muslim man in Lombard, Illinois; an assault on a Muslim woman at a Brooklyn subway station by an individual shouting Islamophobic remarks; an assault and attempted rape of a Muslim woman in Central Park; and an FBI-foiled plot to assassinate Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Islamic institutions have faced an equally serious wave of attacks. Documented incidents include a shooting at the Islamic Center in Pike County, Pennsylvania following prayers; a bomb threat at the Islamic Center of Western Pennsylvania in Wexford; a paintball attack on the Islamic Center of North Phoenix; the desecration of the Islamic Mission of America in Brooklyn; publicly posted calls on social media to burn mosques in Texas and Ohio; and a threatening letter containing a suspicious substance sent to the United Islamic Center of Arizona.

CSTP presented actionable security recommendations for mosque leaders drawn from this threat data. Recommended measures include establishing a culture of greeting every visitor as both a hospitable and deterrent practice, limiting open entry points during prayer times, increasing visible security presence at entrances during peak hours, ensuring perimeter lighting and functional CCTV coverage, implementing mail and package screening protocols, coordinating directly with local law enforcement community liaison officers to share threat assessments and request increased patrols, and reporting every incident — including minor vandalism — to both law enforcement and MPAC-CSTP to help build a comprehensive national threat picture.

SMF Executive Director Rahat Husain praised MPAC's leadership in developing this critical resource. "MPAC's Center for Security, Technology, and Policy is doing exactly the kind of work our community needs right now," said Husain. "The data in this bulletin is sobering, and the recommendations are practical and actionable. CSTP is giving mosque leaders and community organizations the tools to respond to a threat environment that has grown dramatically more dangerous. We are grateful to MPAC for convening this briefing and for their commitment to making it a regular resource for the community."

MPAC's CSTP is a data-driven initiative dedicated to eradicating Islamophobia across institutions, industries, and digital platforms through research, technology, and strategic advocacy. In addition to its Security Bulletins, CSTP operates a Real-Time Islamophobia Monitoring System, an Islamophobia Index, a Big Tech Accountability Initiative, and a 2026 Incident Tracker mapping attacks on Muslims across America. CSTP has announced that it plans to convene these security briefings on at least a quarterly basis going forward.

Today's briefing is the latest milestone in SMF's intensifying national advocacy campaign for mosque safety and the protection of American Muslim institutions. In recent months, SMF has engaged directly with the offices of Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth and Senator Chris Van Hollen on federal coordination between law enforcement and Muslim community leaders, including discussions with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. SMF has also engaged the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Montgomery County Police Department as part of a coordinated, multi-level government relations effort.

"The threat data MPAC presented today reinforces what we have been telling our federal and state partners," said Husain. "The safety of our mosques is not a local concern. It is a national emergency that requires a coordinated federal response. SMF will continue pressing that case at every level of government."

Muslim community leaders wishing to access CSTP's April Security Bulletin or sign up for future briefings may do so at mpac.org/cstp.

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About the Shia Muslim Foundation

The Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) is a national nonprofit advocacy organization representing the interests of Shia Muslims in the United States. SMF engages in communications, civic engagement, and government relations on behalf of the American Shia Muslim community.

About the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is a national public policy and advocacy organization working to promote and strengthen American Muslim civic life. Founded in 1988, MPAC engages government, media, and communities to advance the interests of American Muslims and uphold the principles of justice and pluralism. MPAC's Center for Security, Technology, and Policy (CSTP) is a data-driven initiative dedicated to eradicating Islamophobia across institutions, industries, and digital platforms through research, technology, and strategic advocacy. CSTP leverages advanced data analysis and AI tools to monitor and combat Islamophobia in real time, and publishes Security Bulletins, policy briefings, and trend analysis reports to inform decision-makers, journalists, and advocates. Learn more at mpac.org/cstp.

SMF Meets with Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth on Mosque Safety and Federal Coordination

Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth with members of the Shia Muslim Foundation, UMAA, and Idara e Jaferia at her district office in Columbia, Maryland.

April 18, 2026

The Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) announced today that its Executive Director, Rahat Husain, met last week with Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) to discuss the safety and security of Shia Muslim communities across the United States. The meeting was held at Congresswoman Elfreth's district office in Columbia, Maryland, and was attended by representatives of the United Muslim Association of America (UMAA) and Idara e Jaferia, one of the most established Shia Muslim institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region.

A key outcome of the meeting was Congresswoman Elfreth's commitment to help coordinate a formal letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security addressing the security needs of Shia mosques and Islamic centers in the United States. The letter will call on federal agencies to strengthen their engagement with Shia Muslim communities and ensure that appropriate resources and protections are made available to vulnerable houses of worship.

Congresswoman Elfreth also took to social media following the meeting, sharing a post acknowledging SMF as "a fierce advocate for the rights of Shia Muslims both at home and abroad" and noting her commitment to "real deliverables" to ensure that members of the community "can practice their religion with dignity, safety, and tolerance." The Congresswoman's public statement underscored the significance of the meeting and reflected her office's genuine engagement with the concerns raised by the delegation.

The meeting deepened a relationship that has been cultivated through Congresswoman Elfreth's Interfaith Advisory Council, of which SMF has been an active member. The Council has brought together faith community leaders across the district for dialogue and collaboration, and has been an important platform for elevating the concerns of Maryland's Shia Muslim community at the congressional level. Elfreth's office has also been engaged in planning an Interfaith Youth Day at the Maryland State Capitol, an initiative that SMF has embraced as an opportunity to build broader interfaith understanding among the next generation.

The delegation also briefed the Congresswoman on SMF's ongoing engagement with Maryland law enforcement and state homeland security officials, reflecting a sustained, multi-level advocacy effort that has included meetings with the Montgomery County Police Department and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security. SMF conveyed that federal engagement is the critical next step in ensuring comprehensive protection for Shia Muslim institutions across the country.

The delegation formally invited Congresswoman Elfreth to participate in SMF's upcoming Safety and Security Seminary for American Shia Muslims, scheduled for late May 2026. The Seminary will bring together community leaders, security professionals, and government officials to address the unique safety challenges facing Shia Muslim institutions nationwide.

Idara e Jaferia, headquartered in Burtonsville, Montgomery County, serves hundreds of families throughout the region and has been central to SMF's community safety advocacy efforts. UMAA's participation in the meeting reflects the broad and unified voice of the American Shia Muslim community on these matters.

About the Shia Muslim Foundation

The Shia Muslim Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the civic, legal, and community interests of Shia Muslims in the United States. SMF engages with government institutions, law enforcement agencies, and elected officials to ensure that the voices and concerns of the American Shia Muslim community are represented at every level of government.