America’s fight against Islamist extremism cannot succeed without Muslim leaders willing to challenge hatred within their own communities, Anila Ali, president of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), said during an interview with Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch on the Viktor Frankl Podcast.

Ali, a Muslim advocate for religious freedom and Muslim-Jewish cooperation, said the surge in antisemitism following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel reflects years of radicalization and the growing influence of extremist ideologies. She said political leaders who fail to confront hatred embolden extremists and leave Jewish communities vulnerable.

Ali recounted immigrating to the United States from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in search of the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Instead, she said she encountered antisemitic and anti-American rhetoric after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, prompting her to devote her efforts to combating Islamist extremism and promoting interfaith cooperation.

“This is the promise of America: bringing people together at a human level to build bridges of peace.” — Dr. Anila Ali, President, AMMWEC

A Warning on Political Silence

Much of the conversation centered on New York City politics, where Ali argued that a reluctance among some elected officials to unequivocally condemn Hamas has coincided with a documented rise in hate crimes against the city’s Jewish community. She described that hesitancy as a signal that emboldens extremist networks rather than restrains them.

Ali also traced what she described as the transnational reach of sectarian extremism, arguing that ideological currents originating abroad continue to find footholds in American civic and religious life — a dynamic she said complicates domestic efforts to counter radicalization.

From Pakistan to America — and a Post-9/11 Reckoning

Ali described growing up in a Sunni Muslim family shaped by her grandmother’s advocacy for interfaith unity and minority rights in South Asia. She said that legacy drew her to America, where she hoped to practice her faith freely under constitutional protections. Instead, she recalled hearing rhetoric inside a California mosque shortly after September 11 that shifted blame for the attacks onto American foreign policy and, eventually, onto Jewish Americans — an experience she said marked the beginning of her activism.

The interview also examined the spread of extremist ideology on college campuses, the need to strengthen moderate Muslim voices, and the growing partnership among Muslims, Jews, and Christians to combat antisemitism. Ali said campus organizations tied to broader Islamist networks have worked to silence dissenting Muslim students and faculty, creating what she called a climate of intimidation that discourages moderates from speaking out.

Building a National Coalition

Ali highlighted AMMWEC’s National Coalition Against Antisemitism and Hate conference, which she said brought together more than 70 organizations committed to defending religious liberty, democracy, and peaceful coexistence. She described the gathering as evidence that moderate Muslim voices, often organized in isolation across different states and diaspora communities, can be unified into a coordinated public stand against extremism.

She concluded by saying most Muslims seek peace and freedom but warned that remaining silent in the face of extremism allows hatred to spread. She urged Americans of all faiths to work together in defense of democracy, religious liberty, and shared national values.