(Atlanta, GA,(3/13/26): Today, Georgia’s civic and social justice organizations condemned the U.S. government’s bombing of civilian areas across Tehran and other cities, killing and injuring thousands of Iranian civilians as part of its illegal war of terror on the country. These organizations include CAIR-Georgia, Project South, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, Georgia Muslim Voter Project, Jewish Voice for Peace, Atlanta, the United Campus Workers of Georgia and the Asian Americans Advocacy Fund.
See: More than 1,000 Civilians Killed in U.S.-Israeli Bombing of Iran, Rights Group Says
See Also: War Brings Black Rain to a Parched Iran
Project South’s Legal and Advocacy Director Azadeh N. Shahshahani Esq., stated: “These attacks are yet another example of the United States government committing the crime of aggression, in blatant violation of article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. In its bombing of a girls’ school in Minab with a current death toll of 175 as well as joining Israel in bombing civilian infrastructure such as hospitals in Iran, the United States government is engaging in war crimes. It must be held accountable.”
The dangerous religious rhetoric that has been used to justify the war by its proponents, within and outside the Trump administration, has made Georgia’s Muslim communities, particularly those who practice the Shi’a Muslim faith, less safe, with CAIR-Georgia receiving reports of Shi’a Muslims, especially but not only those of Iranian descent, being harassed, doxed, and their religious centers being threatened.
In a statement, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director, Azka Mahmood, said: “This illegal bombing of a sovereign country does not make Americans safer. Instead, what we are seeing is that the administration’s reckless and dangerous Crusade-like Islamophobic rhetoric is being used to ‘inspire’ American troops and the public.This puts American Muslims and their religious centers at risk.”
Further, the United States’ illegal bombing campaign has had a direct impact on everyday Georgians’ lives, many of whom have family living and working in the wider Middle East that has now become embroiled in this illegal and unnecessary war.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Executive Director, Murtaza Khwaja, added: “This illegal war is not an isolated act of foreign aggression, but part of a continuum. After fueling displacement through foreign intervention, our government meets the survivors at our borders with exclusion and suspicion. We have seen this before: endless wars produce refugees, and refugees are met with fear-mongering that legislators launder into law. From foreign land ownership restrictions in Georgia to militarized immigration policies, we are seeing the domestic face of the same logic that drives overseas aggression. Our democracy cannot survive a government that wages illegal wars in our name and then punishes immigrant communities for the consequences.”
Georgia Muslim Voter Project Executive Director, Shafina Khabani, stated, “We condemn the war and the devastating violence being inflicted on civilians in Iran. No political objective can justify the bombing of schools, hospitals, and the homes of ordinary people. At Georgia Muslim Voter Project, our work is rooted in the belief that every human life carries dignity and worth. That commitment requires us to speak clearly when civilian lives are endangered and to call for an immediate end to this violence. We urge our leaders and our communities to stand firmly on the side of peace and the protection of human life.”
Georgia’s civil and social justice organizations call on the U.S. government to immediately stop this illegal campaign against Iran and the dangerous religious rhetoric associated with it, and urge Georgia’s diverse communities to call the White House to do the same.
CAIR-Georgia is the local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Its mission is to protect civil rights, promote justice, empower American Muslims, and enhance the understanding of Islam.
Project South is a social justice organization engaged in movement building and movement support. Our work is rooted in the legacies of the Southern Freedom Movement and Black Radical Traditions of the U.S. South. The Legal & Advocacy work area of Project South focuses on dismantling state repression and protecting and defending communities of color and immigrants, including Black, Brown, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), and other marginalized communities in Georgia and the Southeast.
Jewish Voice for Peace-Atlanta is the Atlanta chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world.
Georgia Muslim Voter Project is a statewide organization that works to engage and empower Muslims across Georgia through year-round civic engagement, voter education, leadership development, and community advocacy. Rooted in justice, dignity, and collective care, GAMVP helps ensure our communities are informed, organized, and able to speak out on the issues that impact their lives.
United Campus Workers of Georgia is the statewide wall-to-wall labor union for staff, faculty, and student workers at Georgia’s 25 public universities and colleges.
The Asian American Advocacy Fund is a grassroots social welfare organization dedicated to amplifying the collective power of Georgia’s Asian American communities through community organizing, storytelling, electoral organizing, and policy advocacy. We work in deep and transformative partnerships towards a hopeful future and dignified present for all.END
CONTACT: Azka Mahmood, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director, [email protected], Nazia Khanzada, Communications Manager, CAIR-Georgia, [email protected], Azadeh Shahshahani, Legal and Advocacy Director, Project South, [email protected], [email protected], James Woo, Communications Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, [email protected] Urooj Ali, Communications Director, Georgia Muslim Voter Project, United Campus Workers of Georgia, [email protected];