Human Rights Around the World

Rashida is leading a massive shift in Congress to end oppression everywhere and put a stop to forever wars.

As the only Palestinian-American in Congress and one of the first Muslim women in Congress, Rep. Rashida Tlaib is leading a massive shift in Congress in support of all human rights.

She has raised awareness about the Israeli government’s apartheid and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, fighting for Palestinian liberation and the recognition of Palestinians’ humanity. Polls from the last few years show that Americans’ opinions on Palestine are shifting: Most residents of the U.S. support treating Israelis and Palestinians as equal citizens.

Rashida understands the connections between oppression in the United States and oppression around the world, including countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon, and Yemen. She speaks up for human rights, freedom, and justice for ALL people—no exceptions.

And since taking office, Rashida has supported the long-overdue dismantling of our country’s military-industrial complex so that we can finally put a stop to forever wars and reinvest into providing our communities with the resources they need and deserve.

Here are some ways Rashida has advocated for human rights around the world while in Congress:

Rashida is one of the few Congresspeople who consistently votes NO to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), because she can’t justify Congress continually rubber stamping annual increases to our bloated military budget—especially while our own communities are struggling to get by. Because the NDAA does pass every year, Rashida does consistently secure amendments to the bill to support veterans and servicemembers.
Leads the fight to ensure that U.S. tax dollars are not used to fund the Israeli military’s human rights abuses. (Most Americans and a significant majority of Democrats support conditioning U.S. funding of Israel’s military on whether Israel complies with human rights law.)
Introduced the Lebanon TPS Act of 2021, which would grant Lebanese nationals residing in the United States Temporary Protected Status (TPS), preventing their deportation amid their home country’s ongoing humanitarian, political, and financial crisis.
Campaigned to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen, which has exacerbated the country’s catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Rashida has rallied to end the Yemen blockade, supporting hunger strikers and activists who’ve been leading the way.

Rashida speaks truth to power on the House floor and in her fundraising efforts. In 2021 alone she:

Raised nearly $70,000 for Baitulmaal—which provides humanitarian relief including water and food supplies to occupied Palestinian territory and to Gaza—and for the Institute For Middle East Understanding (IMEU), which amplifies Palestinian voices on the ground and provides journalists with quick access to high-quality information, perspectives, and resources.
Raised over $17,000 for Haitian-led group FOKAL, in response to massive earthquakes and storms in Haiti.
Raised over $5,000 for the International Refugee Assistance Project, to get Afghans to safety in the wake of the U.S. pulling out quickly from Afghanistan.
Raised $10,000 in 2023 for Adalah Justice Project, a Palestinian-led advocacy organization based in the U.S. that builds cross-movement coalitions to achieve collective liberation.