Civil Rights Resources

The recent rise of hate crimes against Arab Americans across the United States is heartbreaking and deeply concerning. Our community must be aware of the civil rights resources available, and be diligent about reporting any incidents. Below are some of the resources we have collected. In brief, for criminal conduct, 911 and the FBI are the best resources (in an emergency of course, please call 911). For potential discrimination, harassment, or hate incident claims in Los Angeles County, you should call 211. We have provided a more fulsome list in the chart below.

List of resources for civil rights

The following Arab American Advocacy organizations have also been instrumental in documenting hate incidents and acts of discrimination against the Arab community:

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Dina Qubain, 3L ChangeLawyers Scholarship Recipient

Dina Qubain with Rasha Gerges Shields (R), President of California ChangeLawyers Board, and former President of AALASC, and Jehan Pernas, Vice-President of AALASC.

Dina Qubain was AALASC’s 3L ChangeLawyers Scholarship Recipient. She is Jordanian, and currently attends the University of San Diego School of Law. The AALASC Board was impressed with her academic achievements, and her commitment to serving the Arab American community.  She helped establish and manage an organization to support refugees in Jordan, and also served as president of the Arab Student Union at her college. She has a passion for cyber and data security, and will be joining Eversheds Sutherland LLP when she graduates from law school. Congratulations Dina! Many thanks to Platinum Reporters & Interpreters for cosponsoring this scholarship with us.

Congratulations to Judge Mena Guirguis on Orange County Superior Court Appointment!

Judge Mena Guirguis, a long time AALASC Board Member, was recently appointed as a judge to the Orange County Superior Court.  Prior to his appointment, Mena Guirguis was a Senior Deputy District Attorney in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. During his sixteen years in the District Attorney's Office, Mena served as a trial attorney in the Homicide, Gang and Sexual Assault Units.  Judge Guirguis is also the former president of the Orange County Attorney’s Association, the labor organization representing all non-management attorneys employed by the County of Orange, including attorneys from the offices of the Public Defender, District Attorney, Child Support Services, and County Counsel. 

Judge Guirguis previously volunteered with Orange Outreach and Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership, which are programs that educate and support children in gang-infested neighborhoods. He also volunteered as a coach with the Santa Ana High School Mock Trial Team.  Finally, he is a co-founder of the Orange County Unity Bar and OC District Attorney's Association for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.

Judge Guirguis earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Physiological Sciences, and a law degree from Loyola Law School. He immigrated to the United States from Egypt at a young age and most enjoys spending time with his wife and their 3 young boys.

Judge Guirguis is the first Egyptian judge in Southern California and the first Arab American judge appointed in Orange County. He is currently a member of the AALASC Board.

The Middle Eastern and North African Judicial Officers of California (“MENA JOC”)

MENA Category Officially Approved

The Biden Administration has officially approved the Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) category to be added to the census and other federal forms. For more than three decades, Arab Americans and other MENA groups have campaigned for their own checkbox on the U.S. Census and other government forms; their only option was to check “white,” which is how the federal government perceived people from the Middle East, and North Africa.  Since the MENA category has finally been approved, the Arab American community will no longer be invisible. This is huge, and marks the significant strides the Arab American community has made with their persistent advocacy. 

Creation of MENA Judicial Officers of California

The Middle Eastern and North African Judicial Officers of California (“MENA JOC”), founded in 2023, is an association of current and retired state and federal judicial officers throughout California.  The founding members of the organization are Judge Isabel Apkarian (Orange County Superior Court), Judge Sylvia Nahal Iravani-Sani (Santa Clara County Superior Court), Judge Nadia Jamil Keilani (San Diego County Superior Court),  Judge Michael Pulos (San Diego County Superior Court), and Judge Tony Raphael (San Bernardino County Superior Court and AALASC Board Member). MENA JOC membership is diverse and includes judicial officers who have heritage from the broadly defined MENA region, judicial officers who are related to persons with heritage from the MENA region, judicial officers who have a deep-rooted interest in and passion for any of the many cultures in the MENA region, and judicial officers who simply share in the MENA JOC mission.

In January 2024, MENA JOC became an affinity group affiliate of the California Judges Association, alongside the California Latino Judges Association, Association of African American California Judicial Officers, California Asian Pacific American Judges Association, and the LGBT Judicial Officers of California. The overarching purpose of MENA JOC is communication, education, and networking among MENA JOC members, other members of the judiciary, bar associations, and local communities throughout California.  One of MENA JOC’s goals is to increase representation of MENA judges on the bench in the spirit of furthering efforts to increase diversity in the judiciary in general.  

Please visit menajoc.org for additional information on the incredible work this organization is doing.

In Memoriam: Sol Peter Ajalat

Sol Peter Ajalat, one of the founding members of AALASC, passed away on June 28, 2023.  He was honored with the Judge James A. Kaddo Award in 2011, for his long-standing service to the Arab American legal community.  Sol was a brilliant lawyer, devoted family man, and a beloved member of the community.  Serving others, and bringing others together for the greater good was his passion, and he demonstrated that his whole life.  He will forever be missed.