At the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) celebrated a moment of profound significance as its President and Founder, Anila Ali, received the prestigious Ray of Light in the Darkness Award at EMET’s annual gala.

This wasn’t merely another award ceremony—it was a powerful statement about the kind of leadership our fractured society desperately needs. Anila Ali delivered a keynote speech that resonated with moral courage, challenging her own community to confront uncomfortable truths while standing firmly with the victims of terror.

AMMWEC stands as the only Muslim women’s organization in America to unequivocally condemn the barbaric atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th, including massacre, rape, torture, and brutalization of women. In her powerful address, Ali emphasized that this recognition honors not just her work, but every Muslim woman who believes in courage over extremism, humanity over hatred, and peace over propaganda.

The award comes at a crucial time when moral clarity is often overshadowed by political convenience. Ali’s leadership demonstrates that standing for human rights means defending them everywhere—not only when victims fit certain political narratives. Her speech called out selective outrage within Muslim communities regarding persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries, violence against Uyghurs, Rohingyas, Kurds, and Muslims killing Muslims in Syria.

In her address, Ali shared her family’s remarkable legacy of public service. Her grandmother was a founding figure of modern Pakistan—the first elected Muslim woman in Indian Congress and a pioneering women’s rights advocate who mobilized thousands during the Pakistan movement of 1947. Her father, also a founding father of Pakistan, was a legendary journalist, diplomat, and interfaith leader who raised her to be “a strong, independent, intellectually disciplined woman equal to anyone.”

The personal cost of moral clarity has been steep. Following her public stance after October 7th, half of Ali’s board resigned. She was accused of being an Israeli agent and received a fatwa—a death threat from the Iranian regime. Yet when asked if she would do it again, her response was unequivocal: “I will, because moral clarity is non-negotiable.”

Ali’s speech issued a powerful call to action: “Empower the moderates. Engage the reformers. Support those who confront extremism from within. When moderate Muslims are marginalized, extremists grow stronger, bigger, louder. When reformers are isolated, peace is not advanced—it’s actually undermined.”

She concluded by dedicating the award to those who stood with AMMWEC after October 7th—not just in America, but in Muslim countries and communities worldwide—who spoke out against hate, traveled to Israel, and worked to rebuild Abrahamic unity.