Muslim judge appointment in tiny Mississippi town draws social media attacks
- Assma Ali was appointed last week as municipal judge in Benoit, Mississippi, a town of fewer than 400 people in Bolivar County.
- Ali is a U.S. citizen of Yemeni descent, an immigration lawyer with nearly 10 years of experience, and she runs a private practice in Ridgeland.
- Her appointment drew online backlash from trolls and some Mississippi politicians, with false claims that she had fabricated the appointment or would impose Sharia law.
- People who know Ali, including law professor Frank Rosenblatt, said she is qualified, well regarded in the legal community, and committed to mentoring young lawyers.
- Ali said she will uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law and later posted her oath of office and the Benoit meeting agenda showing her appointment.
Assma Ali's appointment as municipal judge in Benoit, Mississippi, has prompted online attacks centered on her Muslim faith. Some social media posts and a few politicians made unsupported claims about her beliefs and suggested she would bring Islamic law into the state, while others incorrectly identified the town where she was appointed.
Ali is a U.S.-born attorney of Yemeni descent who has practiced immigration law for nearly a decade. She graduated from Mississippi College School of Law in 2017, was admitted to the state bar that year, and now operates a private practice in Ridgeland.
People who know her, including Mississippi Christian University School of Law professor Frank Rosenblatt, described her as qualified and respected. Ali said in a statement that she would uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law, and she later posted her oath of office and meeting records showing the appointment.
The story noted that municipal judges in Mississippi are appointed by local governing bodies and serve only within the city, and that in smaller cities they are not required to live in the community. It also said Mississippi already has a law barring enforcement of foreign law, including a measure that was promoted at the time as an anti-Sharia law step.
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州博诺伊特镇市政法官后，围绕她穆斯林身份的网络攻击随之出现。一些社交媒体帖子和少数政界人士在没有证据的情况下质疑她的信仰，并声称她会把伊斯兰法带入该州，还有人把她的任命地点说错了。
阿里出生在美国，具有也门裔背景，从事移民法业务近10年。她2017年毕业于密西西比学院法学院，同年获得州律师资格，现在在里奇兰德经营私人律所。
认识她的人，包括密西西比基督教大学法学院教授弗兰克·罗森布拉特，都称她资历合格、在业内受尊重。阿里表示，她将遵守美国宪法和密西西比州法律，之后又在社交媒体上发布了宣誓文件和会议记录，以证明这项任命。
报道还提到，密西西比州的市政法官由地方治理机构任命，只在所在城市管辖，在人口较少的城市也不要求住在当地。报道还说，密西西比州已有禁止执行外国法律的规定，其中一项法案当时被宣传为反沙里亚法措施。