TAKE ACTION
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart, which is the weakest level of faith.”
Source: Sahih Muslim 49
Testify Against SB 1
In Ohio, you have the right to present in-person or written testimony for or against bills in Statehouse committees. This coming Tuesday, March 11th, at 9:00 am, the Ohio House Higher Education Committee will accept public testimony on SB 1, the Higher Education Enhancement Destruction Act.
This bill is extremely harmful for Muslim students, we need you to submit testimony to stop the censorship of diversity in state higher education institutions. SB 1 enables censorship and threatens the rights of faculty, staff, and students, including the existence of Muslim student organizations like the Muslim Students Association, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Somali Student Association, who hold an integral role in advocating for uplifting and educating communities. This act targets diversity, equity, and inclusion on public college campuses by prohibiting institutions from conducting any diversity & inclusion (DEI) training, holding any public opinion on public policy controversies, boycotting, and providing majors or courses of study on a wide range of topics such as ethnic and controversial ideology that can include religious and society courses. Read more information and summary about SB 1 here.
At this hearing, the Ohio House is setting a hard stop on opposition testimony at 3 hours, but students, parents, educators, and other stakeholders across the state can still have their voices heard by submitting testimony and flooding the inboxes of Ohio Workforce & House Higher Education legislators. Want to testify against this bill? Follow this process:
HOW TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY:
Write your testimony:
See testimony template here, make a copy of the google doc and edit it with your information and testimony.
For written testimony, no length limit, but Representatives often don’t read after the first page.
Fill out a witness slip.
See witness slip here, download the PDF and enter in your information. Fill it out and email it along with your testimony.
Email your testimony AND witness slip to the Committee Chair’s office by Monday, March 10 at 9 AM:
TESTIMONY & WITNESS SLIP MUST BE SENT AS A WORD DOC OR PDF ATTACHMENT
This records your written testimony as submitted.
In your email, please indicate that this is an in-person testimony if you plan to speak, but know that the accepted amount of in-person testimony is extremely limited. You should still show up to pack the room.
Email OHRWorkforceAndHigherEducationCommittee@ohiohouse.gov & BCC victoria@yusraorganizing.org (for count/tracking purposes) by Monday, March 10 at 9 AM.