Muslim judge appointment in small Mississippi town draws social media backlash
- Assma Ali was appointed last week as municipal judge for Benoit, Mississippi, a town of fewer than 400 people.
- Her appointment drew online backlash and criticism from some Mississippi politicians because she is Muslim.
- Ali is an American citizen of Yemeni descent with nearly 10 years of experience as an immigration lawyer.
- Supporters, including law professor Frank Rosenblatt, said she is qualified and that religion cannot be used to disqualify her from office.
- Ali said she will uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law and later posted her oath of office and the appointment agenda for transparency.
Assma Ali’s appointment as municipal judge in Benoit, a small Mississippi Delta town, has prompted social media attacks from internet users and some state politicians. The criticism focused on her religion, with posts making unsupported claims about her beliefs and suggesting she would impose Islamic law.
Ali is an American citizen of Yemeni descent and an immigration lawyer with nearly a decade of experience. She runs a private practice in Ridgeland and earned her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2017, the same year she was admitted to the state bar.
Supporters said the attacks are religious in nature and pointed to constitutional protections against disqualifying someone from public office because of faith. Ali said in a statement that she is committed to upholding the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law and thanked Benoit for the opportunity to serve.
Mississippi appoints municipal judges through city governing bodies, and in towns under 20,000 residents, a judge is not required to live in the area served. Ali later posted her signed oath of office and the meeting agenda showing her appointment, saying she wanted clarity and transparency.
密西西比州小镇任命穆斯林法官引发社交媒体攻击
阿斯玛·阿里被任命为密西西比三角洲小镇贝努瓦的市政法官后，遭到网络攻击，也引来一些州内政界人士的批评。争议集中在她的宗教身份上，一些帖子在没有证据的情况下宣称她持有极端观点，甚至会推行伊斯兰教法。
阿里是美国公民，祖籍也门，从事移民法执业近10年。她在里奇兰经营私人律师事务所，2017年毕业于密西西比学院法学院，并在同年取得密西西比州律师资格。
支持者表示，这些攻击本质上与宗教有关，并指出宪法禁止因宗教而取消公职资格。阿里则表示，她将遵守美国宪法和密西西比州法律，并感谢贝努瓦给予她服务机会。
密西西比州的市政法官由城市治理机构任命，在人口少于2万人的城镇，法官不必居住在服务地区。阿里随后公开了她签署的就职誓词和显示任命情况的会议议程，称此举是为了“清晰和透明” 。