Last week a Senate committee voted down legislation that was designed to increase diversity in Virginia’s 20 governor’s schools. These schools are publicly funded and are established for gifted high school students. The admissions process is through a test-based system.

However, there has been a series of complaints about the lack of diversity at these schools. For example, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, only 1 in 10 Black students are admitted to these schools across the state. Other complains involve the testing process, which favors students from greater familial support, and often shunning Black and brown families.

Rafi Uddin Ahmed, Chairman of the Virginia Council of Muslim Organizations, released the following statement supporting HB 2305.

“The Virginia Council of Muslim Organizations (VCMO) strongly supports the reconsideration and approval of HB2305 in the Virginia State Senate to counter systemic racism, ensure equity, and increase access to the Governor’s Schools. As representatives of diverse Muslim organizations across the Commonwealth of Virginia, the VA Council of Muslim Organizations, which is a coalition of Mosques and institutions serving over 200,000 Muslim congregants, calls on the Virginia State Senate to reconsider and approve HB2305 to counter systemic racism, ensure equity, and increase access to Governor’s Schools.”

“As Muslims we are commanded to stand firm for justice as witnesses to God (Quran 4:135) and as leaders of the Muslim community in the Commonwealth of Virginia we have seen historical inequities in education and taxpayer funded institutions. We were disappointed with some of the language and rhetoric used in the recent Senate Education and Health Committee meeting on HB2305 by pitting minority communities against one another.”

“Muslims & Asian Americans have been the beneficiaries of the Civil Rights struggle of the Black community which provided Asian & Immigrant communities a step up when they arrived in the United States. As American Muslims we recognize the continued suffering of inequities by Black and Latino Virginians due to their historic marginalization. Therefore, we strongly support policy makers and school division personnel in their attempts to find equitable solutions to rectify those inequities.”

“VCMO applauds the work of Secretary Atif Qarni, the first Muslim full term state-level Cabinet Secretary in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America, for recognizing the need for equitable solutions in our education institutions. We appreciate the leadership of Governor Northam on this issue and others of equity and justice in the Commonwealth of Virginia and thank the Virginia House of Delegates for carrying and passing HB2305.Since the Bill was continued in the Senate Education and Health Committee, VCMO supports reconsideration and approval of HB2305. In addition, we call on the Senate of Virginia to approve this bill and uphold the interests of justice and equity for all of Virginia’s communities.”