On May 31, 2026, history will be made on Fifth Avenue. Dr. Anila Ali — Pakistan-born founder, board chair, and president of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) — will lead a contingent of approximately 30 people through the iconic route alongside Central Park for the 62nd Israel Day Parade, one of the largest pro-Israel public gatherings in the world. The development was first reported by Debra Nussbaum Cohen in an exclusive interview for JNS.org.

The parade, officially organised by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY), carries this year’s theme: “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists.” It arrives at a moment of heightened tension, with anti-Israel protesters disrupting Jewish neighbourhoods and sowing fear across communities nationwide. Dr. Ali’s message is clear and unambiguous: those voices do not speak for all Muslims. She and many others stand with the Jewish community and with Israel’s right to exist.

Dr. Ali recalled the bonds forged between Muslim and Jewish Americans in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks — when nearly 3,000 lives were lost to Islamist terrorism and Muslims across America feared backlash and retaliation. It was the Jewish community that stepped forward first. “As the largest Muslim women’s civil rights organisation standing against bigotry within and without, we had a very close relationship based on trust that we shared common heritage,” she told JNS.

This year’s parade also marks an unprecedented absence: for the first time in recent memory, New York City’s mayor will not participate. Mayor Zohran Mamdani — the city’s first Muslim mayor, sworn into office on January 1, 2026 — has been on record since his college years as not believing the State of Israel has a right to exist. Immediately upon taking office, Mayor Mamdani revoked many of his predecessor’s executive orders, including those providing legal protections against antisemitism and anti-Zionism, drawing sharp criticism from Jewish community leaders and civil rights advocates across the country.

New York City is home to approximately 1 million Jewish residents — the largest Jewish population of any city outside Israel. Against this backdrop, the symbolic weight of Muslim women choosing to march is profound and cannot be overstated.

Across universities, activist circles, and social media ecosystems, many moderate Muslim voices have found themselves increasingly pressured into silence whenever they express support for Jewish communities, condemn terrorism unequivocally, or acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. Dr. Ali’s decision breaks that silence — publicly and unapologetically.

It also exposes a reality too often erased from simplistic media narratives: many Muslims oppose extremism, reject antisemitism, and actively support interfaith cooperation, even if their voices receive far less attention than louder ideological factions.

That statement resonates far beyond Fifth Avenue. For years, radicals have tried to convince both Muslims and Jews that they are natural enemies. History repeatedly shows the opposite: civilisations are strongest not when communities isolate themselves in fear, but when they defend each other’s dignity in moments of pressure. The image of Muslim women marching beside Jewish organisations sends a message extremists on all sides despise — coexistence is still alive.

You can follow Dr. Anila Ali’s announcement and updates directly on her X (Twitter) post. Additional context on the political landscape around this year’s parade can be found here.