NEW YORK CITY — On Sunday, May 31, 2026, Dr. Anila Ali — a Pakistan-born, DC-based Muslim civil rights advocate, founder of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), and one of the most courageous interfaith voices in America — is leading what is believed to be the first Muslim-led delegation in the 62-year history of New York City’s Israel Day Parade. She is doing it despite being warned to wear a bulletproof vest. She is doing it despite a Democratic socialist city councilwoman having condemned her to hell for daring to show solidarity with Jewish New Yorkers. She is doing it because, in her words: “Nothing is deterring me.”

The 58-year-old powerhouse and fearless activist told the New York Post that she plans to march with approximately 30 Muslim supporters — including an imam and children — in traditional Muslim colors while waving Israeli flags down Fifth Avenue, in a procession that stretches from roughly 62nd to 74th Street. It is an act of moral courage that stands in direct and deliberate contrast to the silence of New York’s current mayor, who has made himself the first sitting mayor in the parade’s history to refuse to attend.

Dr. Anila Ali Founder & CEO, AMMWEC  ·  anilaali.com

“We are a little worried after somebody’s been calling and saying to wear a bulletproof vest. But we’re fighting to take back our country and it’s a fight that every American should join. I want to show I’m a proud Muslim — I try not to think about the threat, but about what we’re doing — standing with Israel’s right to exist.”

The Threats She Refuses to Let Win

Dr. Ali’s decision to march has not come without cost. After her powerful speech at the Gracie Mansion rally earlier this week — in which she addressed Mayor Mamdani directly and called on Jewish New Yorkers to demand his resignation — she faced a torrent of online and offline harassment that would have silenced most people.

A Life Built for This Moment

Dr. Ali is not a newcomer to bridge-building. She has lived in the United States for 30 years, found support in the Jewish community after 9/11, led Muslim delegations — including the first-ever Pakistani group — to Israel, and met with Israeli officials as part of her decades-long commitment to interfaith coexistence. She is a retired California public school teacher, a co-founder of CalPak (a nonprofit focused on girls’ education and STEM in Pakistan), and has been recognized as the first Muslim woman honored in Hadassah’s list of American Zionist women.

For Ali, Sunday’s march is the culmination of everything she has fought for. As she prepares her outfit — traditional Muslim colors alongside the Israeli flag — she is focused not on the threats but on the message: that Muslim and Jewish solidarity is real, possible, and necessary.

Mamdani: The Mayor Who Refused to Show Up

The contrast is impossible to miss. While Dr. Ali marches — with threats ringing in her ears — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made himself the first sitting New York City mayor since the parade’s 1961 inception to refuse to attend. For 62 years, every mayor of New York — of every party, every background — has honored the parade. Mamdani, citing his views on the Israeli government, has broken that tradition.

Dr. Anila AliOn Mayor Mamdani

“Saying ‘I’m a Muslim’ does not give you, Mr. Mamdani, the right to make Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe. He’s using the politics of intimidation. They want this mayor out — but they fear that the moment they say something, they will be intimidated and harassed.”

Ali also described the demoralized moderate Muslims she met at a Jackson Heights Eid event and across the city this week — people who privately want to speak out against Mamdani but live in fear of backlash from his camp. While Mamdani stays home, she is marching for them too.

What This March Means

In a week that has seen an antisemitic mob attack a Jewish girl near her Brooklyn synagogue, a councilwoman condemn a Muslim patriot to hell, and a mayor turn his back on the city’s Jewish community — Dr. Anila Ali is marching down Fifth Avenue with an imam and Muslim children carrying Israeli flags. The symbolism is not subtle. It is intentional, powerful, and long overdue.

Faith & Freedom News salutes Dr. Anila Ali, the imam, the children, and every Muslim marcher who will walk Fifth Avenue today. You are America at its finest. We will continue to report on this historic moment as events develop.