AAANY Addresses City Council on the Surge of Hate Crimes and Community Needs
On May 29, 2025, AAANY’s Advocacy & Civic Engagement Manager, Maryam Al Khaldi, delivered powerful testimony before New York City Council, urging the restoration and expansion of funding for the Hate Crimes Prevention Initiative (HCPI).
Since 2001, the Arab-American Association of New York (AAANY) has stood at the front lines of fighting hate violence against Arab, Muslim, and immigrant communities. On May 29th, 2025, AAANY’s Advocacy and Civic Engagement Manager, Maryam Al Khaldi, addressed the New York City Council to highlight the ongoing rise in hate crimes and call for increased investment in community-based safety efforts.
“In 2021, we joined the Partners Against the Hate Forward initiative under the Office of the Prevention of Hate Crimes,” Maryam shared. “AAANY and our grantees have led hundreds of self-defense trainings, trained thousands in bystander intervention and de-escalation, and provided resources to thousands of New Yorkers.”
Maryam also cited alarming data collected by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), an AAANY grantee, which documented 290 reports of hate crimes or bias incidents against Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim New Yorkers since October 2023—134 of which were reported by K-12 and university students.
“We’ve worked with clients whose hijabs were ripped off, mosques that were vandalized, and even received threats of violence at our own organization. Our staff has endured harassment, stalking, and threats because of who we are and the work that we do.”
Despite the critical support provided through the HCPI’s PATH initiative, AAANY and its fellow PATH anchors are facing a $30,000 funding cut for Fiscal Year 2026—a decision Maryam firmly condemned in her testimony.
“At a time of rising hate and fear, and with the federal administration spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric, our services are needed more than ever.”
She closed her remarks by calling on the City Council to restore the PATH Initiative’s funding and increase investment in community-led safety efforts.
AAANY remains committed to combating hate, protecting vulnerable communities, and creating a New York where all people—regardless of race, religion, or immigration status—can live with dignity and security.