Muslim judge appointment in small Mississippi town draws social media attacks
- Assma Ali was appointed last week as municipal judge for Benoit, a town of fewer than 400 people in Mississippi's Bolivar County.
- Ali is a U.S. citizen of Yemeni descent, practices immigration law in Ridgeland, and has nearly 10 years of legal experience.
- Her appointment prompted online backlash from trolls and some Mississippi politicians, with some falsely claiming she was appointed elsewhere or would impose Sharia law.
- Supporters, including a law professor who knows her, said Ali is qualified and noted that religion cannot be used to disqualify someone from public office.
- Ali said she will uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law and later posted her signed oath of office and the meeting agenda showing her appointment.
Assma Ali, an immigration lawyer with nearly a decade of experience, was appointed municipal judge in Benoit, a small Mississippi Delta town. The appointment quickly drew social media attacks from internet trolls and some Mississippi politicians, who made unsupported claims about her religion and suggested she would bring Islamic law to the state.
Ali is a U.S. citizen of Yemeni descent and runs a private practice in Ridgeland. She earned her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2017 and was admitted to the state bar the same year.
People who know Ali, including attorney and law professor Frank Rosenblatt, said she is qualified and respected in the legal community. Rosenblatt and others said the attacks were rooted in her being Muslim, and he argued that the U.S. and Mississippi constitutions bar discrimination in public office based on religion.
Ali said in a statement that she will uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law. She later posted her oath of office and the Benoit 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
阿斯马·阿里是一名移民律师，拥有近10年从业经验，她被任命为密西西比州小镇本欧特的市政法官。这项任命很快在社交媒体上引发攻击，一些网络用户和少数密西西比州政界人士散布毫无根据的说法，拿她的宗教身份做文章，还暗示她会把伊斯兰教法带到该州。
阿里是具有也门裔背景的美国公民，在里奇兰经营私人执业。她于2017年获得密西西比学院法学院法学学位，并在同年获得该州律师资格。
认识阿里的人，包括律师兼法学教授弗兰克·罗森布拉特，都表示她资历合格，在法律界口碑良好。罗森布拉特等人说，这些攻击的根源在于她是穆斯林，并指出美国和密西西比州宪法都禁止因宗教原因剥夺公职资格。
阿里发表声明说，她会遵守美国宪法和密西西比州法律。随后她又发布了自己的宣誓文件和显示任命的本欧特会议议程，称这是为了“清晰和透明”。