A Grievance Rooted in 9/11 — and the Irvine Mosque

Ali’s response was not merely a reaction to a social media slight. It was the culmination of more than two decades of documented conflict. She recalled specific confrontations with Ayloush at the Irvine mosque in the months after the September 11 attacks, when she says CAIR representatives — including Ayloush — would use Friday prayers to raise money by stoking fear among Muslim congregants.

“Right after 9/11, you would raise money by saying, ‘Oh, they are coming for you,'” Ali said, recounting the messaging she heard from Ayloush. “And I used to tell people in law enforcement: what is this organization talking about? I want them to talk about things we can do as Muslims — not make us hate our government. We came to America for refuge.”

Ali says she confronted Ayloush personally outside the Irvine mosque. “I came to you and I said: brother, if you are going to make my kids think that America is not a good place for them, I am not going to come to this mosque.” She adds that she also documented these exchanges and shared screenshots with FBI Special Agent Steve Martinez, who she says was the special agent in charge at the time.

The Political Retaliation: A Candidate Placed Against Her

The personal stakes grew even higher when Ali ran for Irvine City Council. She says she approached Ayloush directly and asked that CAIR — which she describes as a self-proclaimed civil rights organization — not field a candidate against her. What she says she received instead was a stark ultimatum.

“Do you remember, Hussam, in front of Mayor Ali Sajjad and Haroon Ezar from Homeland Security — you told me you didn’t leave your support for Israel, so we put a candidate against you,” Ali said in her statement. The moment, she argues, reveals what she calls the true priorities of CAIR-California: not civil rights, but political enforcement of ideological conformity.

The Harassment of Muslim Women Who Speak Up

Ali also named Lori Soroya Hedry and referenced an unnamed Pakistani woman, both of whom she says faced harassment and intimidation from Ayloush’s organization for daring to speak independently. “Do you remember the Pakistani girl that you and your organization have harassed and intimidated?” Ali said, challenging Ayloush directly.

The accusation echoes broader concerns Ali has long raised about organizations she says function as gatekeepers within Muslim-American communities — pressuring women and men to stay silent, conform, or face organized social and political retaliation.

CAIR’s Block: Silencing the Response

Notably, Ali revealed that CAIR-California had already blocked her from commenting on Ayloush’s Facebook page — meaning she could not respond to his dismissal of her organization directly in the space where it was made. She posted her response on TikTok instead, ensuring it reached her own audience without being filtered or suppressed.

“The reason I can’t go and post on his page,” she explained at the opening of her video, “is because his organization, CAIR-California, has now blocked me from commenting.” The irony was not lost on her. “I think he has amnesia,” she added dryly, before launching into her detailed rebuttal.

A Decades-Long Fight for a Different Islam in America

Across her statement, Ali returned repeatedly to a central theme: that she has never been monolithic, never been silent, and never subscribed to the ideological framework that organizations like CAIR have sought to impose on Muslim Americans. Since 9/11, she says, she has been building an alternative — one rooted in love for both America and Islam, in interfaith dialogue, and in the belief that Muslim voices must be free, plural, and unafraid.

“I am not some unknown organization,” Ali concluded. “I stand for many voices that organizations like yours have silenced. And right now in New York, Muslims are afraid to speak their mind because of DSA, Muslim Brotherhood, and proxies. That is the truth — and I will keep saying it.”

Watch the full video statement by Anila Ali at TikTok/@anilaali620. Hussam Ayloush’s Facebook profile is available here. This report was compiled and published by Faith & Freedom News.