The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks affected the career choice of many first-generation Muslim Americans, according to an article on OpEdNews.com.
Unlike other choices of most first-generation American’s choices - such as medicine, science and engineering - many Muslims choose to study law, mainly because they are deeply concerned about human rights and civil liberties.
Junaid Ahmad, a 24-year-old student at William and Mary law school in Williamsburg, Virginia, says he hopes to join the legal staff of an international human rights group when he graduates in 2008.
Ahmad, of Pakistani origin, says he’s “worried about the politics of fear" that the Bush administration has created following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
"Many Muslims in America are being routinely harassed and stereotyped and might feel more comfortable with lawyers who understood their language, culture and customs,” he said.
Ahmad currently serves as pro-bono director of communications for the National Muslim Law Students' Association (NMLSA), established in 2002, as well as an Executive Board Member of the Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP), based in Washington, DC.
Another group, called the National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML), was formed in California in 1996 with 24 members, and now includes 500. Moreover, half of the 100 members of the Bay Area (California) Association of Muslim Lawyers (BAAML) are law students, indicating the sharp increase in the number of Muslims turning to law.
It’s difficult to know the exact number of Muslim law students because law schools and law firms don’t ask for an applicant’s religion, according to a spokesperson for the NMLSA, Rufiath Yousuff.
But there are currently Muslim law student groups at approximately 30 U.S. law schools from Berkeley to Yale, she said.
Yousuff says NMSLA currently has 249 subscribers "with at least 50 joining last year alone." Members include law graduates, law students and college students interested in law.
"After 9/11 there came a shocking realization that there were not enough Muslims in the profession to protect the rights of Muslims both within the U.S. and also the international community,
"A Muslim may send money to another country or organization and be arrested for allegedly materially aiding a terrorist country. In such a situation, a Muslim lawyer could identify their intent in such an act, while being aware of the legal mechanisms to secure their release,” Yousuff said.
Omar Khawaja, a J.D. Candidate at Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. agrees, saying: "While working on Capitol Hill, I decided that law school would help me become a better advocate for Muslim and Muslim American causes. Despite the circumstances, I'm grateful at having the opportunity to work in the legal field and make a positive contribution to society as a Muslim American."
Many Muslims share Khawaja’s views, and are willing to help other fellow Muslims in the United States. For example, lawyers and law students teach Muslims about civil rights. In Santa Clara, California, a legal clinic at a local mosque offers free community consultations. And Muslim lawyers are taking on cases such as a Muslim woman whose name was mistakenly placed on the Transportation Security Administration's no-fly list, and another who was fired because she wears the Hijab, or the Islamic headscarf.
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