Assma Ali's recent appointment as the municipal judge for Benoit, Mississippi, a town with fewer than 400 residents, has ignited a wave of online backlash. Critics, including some politicians and social media users, have targeted Ali based on her Muslim faith, making unsubstantiated claims about her beliefs and the legitimacy of her appointment.
Ali, an American citizen of Yemeni descent, is an immigration lawyer with nearly a decade of experience. She was appointed last week to serve as the municipal judge for Benoit, located in Bolivar County. She also maintains 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.
Online commentary has included accusations that Ali holds radical beliefs and would impose Islamic law. Some posts falsely suggested her appointment was fabricated or that she would institute Sharia law. One social media post from Amy Mekelburg of New York questioned the appointment, asking if it was an "Islamic scam" or if Mississippi officials were being dishonest.
In response to the attacks, Ali issued a statement affirming her commitment to the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law. "I was born in the United States, and as both an attorney and a judge, I am committed to upholding the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Mississippi," Ali stated. "I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Benoit and will approach this responsibility with fairness, integrity, impartiality, and respect for the law."
To provide clarity, Ali shared her signed oath of office and the Benoit meeting agenda detailing her appointment on social media. Municipal judges in Mississippi are appointed by a city's governing body and have jurisdiction over city ordinance violations, traffic violations, and misdemeanor crimes within that specific city. In towns with populations under 20,000, judges are not required to reside in the area they serve, and part-time appointments allow judges to continue their private practices.
Legal experts have pushed back against the discriminatory nature of the attacks. Frank Rosenblatt, an attorney and professor at Mississippi Christian University School of Law, who has known Ali for years, described her as a qualified and well-respected member of the legal community. He noted that attempts to disqualify someone from public office based on religion are unconstitutional under both U.S. and Mississippi law.
Sahar Aziz, a professor of law at Rutgers University Law School, addressed the accusations of imposing Sharia law, explaining that Sharia is a complex, multi-jurisprudential system with diverse interpretations. She argued that such accusations presume a Muslim official would violate the separation of church and state, a prejudice not applied to officials of other faiths. Aziz compared the unfounded fears to questioning whether an Orthodox Jewish judge would impose Jewish law or a Catholic judge would impose canon law.
In 2015, Mississippi enacted a law prohibiting the enforcement of foreign law within the state, a measure often framed as anti-Sharia. Opponents at the time suggested it was a "solution in search of a problem."