Issues, Definitions, and What We Do
Our work focuses on confronting harmful practices, ideologies, and policies that undermine the values of a free and just society.
Harmful Cultural Practices & Gender-Based Violence
In the United States and around the world, women and girls continue to suffer from harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), honor violence, child marriage, and forced marriage. These practices are recognized as violating basic human rights, trapping individuals in cycles of abuse, fear, and oppression.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injuries to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This practice is typically inflicted on defenseless girls between infancy and age fifteen, representing a severe form of child abuse and sexual assault. The consequences of FGM are dire, leading to serious health risks such as infections, hemorrhage, septicemia, recurrent urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility, obstetric complications, and life-long psychological trauma.
Honor-based domestic violence (HBV) encompasses a broad range of abusive behaviors aimed at controlling an individual to protect or restore a family’s honor, including physical assaults, forced marriage, emotional and psychological abuse, confinement or restriction of movement, and threats of violence.
Child marriage is defined as any marriage involving at least one party under the age of 18. Mostly affecting girls, child marriage can be easily coerced due to minors’ limited legal rights.
Forced marriage is defined as a situation where family members impose marital choices on their children through various forms of coercion, including; emotional abuse, psychological pressure, physical violence or threats of violence, kidnapping, and deception.
We work to liberate women and girls from harmful traditional practices. AHA Foundation is the only organization focused on supporting women at risk in the U.S. from all four of these outdated practices. We work with policymakers, law enforcement, social services, and communities to end honor violence, child/forced marriage, and female genital mutilation.
Islamism
Islamism is not Islam, a centuries-old religion practiced by millions around the world. Islamism is a political ideology, emerging from the late 19th century, that seeks to impose Islamic law on society and government at the expense of individual freedoms and rights. This ideology targets the basic freedoms that define a Liberal society, including freedom of speech, gender equality, and religious liberty.
AHA’s work is committed to countering Islamism by supporting and amplifying the voices and activism of Muslim reformers, ex-Muslims, activists, writers, academics, and more to push back against this political ideology. AHA Foundation was instrumental in creating the CLARITy (Champions for Liberty Against the Reality of Islamist Tyranny) Coalition, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of its founding members. We aim to promote a world where religious beliefs are a personal choice, not a tool of oppression.
Attacks on Free Speech and Academic Freedom
Across universities, workplaces, and public forums, the fundamental right to free speech is increasingly under attack as illiberal movements are silencing dissenting voices and stifling open debate.
We defend the right to free expression for all individuals, recognizing that the best way to counter bad ideas is through better ideas—not through suppression. We work to ensure that campuses and public spaces remain arenas for vibrant dialogue, intellectual diversity, and academic rigor.
Postmodern Critical Theories
Postmodern Critical Theories are a collection of academic ideologies (most recognizable among them are Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, and Postcolonial Theory), often associated with the study of race and ethnicity, gender, sex and sexuality, disability, body size, and colonialism, that view societal discrimination primarily through a problematizing lens examining the maintenance of power through systemic oppression. While well-intentioned, postmodern critical theories can undermine Liberal values by promoting divisive identity politics, rejecting the validity of objective truth, suppressing free inquiry, and prioritizing ideological conformity over individual rights.
AHA opposes the imposition of postmodern critical theories in education, policy, and public discourse, advocating instead for a return to principles of equality, merit, and universal human rights. We believe in addressing social issues with nuance and open dialogue, rather than rigid dogmas.
Antisemitism
AHA adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” We also adopt the guideline: “Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
AHA is unwavering in its commitment to fighting antisemitism in all its forms, including Islamism, recognizing it as a direct threat not only to Jews but to the fabric of a free and tolerant society. We actively oppose efforts to normalize or excuse antisemitic rhetoric and actions, whether they come from extremist ideologies, political movements, or cultural biases.