Appointment of Muslim judge in tiny Mississippi town brings social media attacks

A municipal judge’s appointment in a small Mississippi Delta town has drawn social media backlash, from internet trolls and a few Mississippi politicians, because she is Muslim.

But those who know Assma Ali, including a law professor, say the U.S. native is qualified and an upstanding member of Mississippi’s legal community.

“We have people from out of state who just see a woman in a hijab and they say action must be taken. These attacks against Ms. Ali are about her religion,” said Frank Rosenblatt, an attorney and professor at Mississippi Christian University School of Law, who has known Ali for years and spoke highly of her willingness to mentor young lawyers.

In recent days, people including some Mississippi politicians attacked Ali online for what they claimed are radical beliefs – without any substantiation. They accused her of fabricating the judicial appointment and speculated she would institute Islamic law. Social media posts falsely claimed she was appointed as a judge in Ridgeland or in Lumberton.

“Mississippi appoints first Yemeni Sharia Hijabi judge,” Amy Mekelburg of New York, founder and editor-in-chief of the Rise Align Ignite Reclaim Foundation, wrote in a post on X. Mekelburg questioned whether Ali had made up the appointment, writing: “In Mississippi – is it an Islamic scam, or are Mississippi officials being dishonest?”

Ali, an immigration lawyer with nearly 10 years of experience, was appointed last week as the municipal judge for Benoit, a town of fewer than 400 people in Bolivar County. She is an American citizen of Yemeni descent. She runs her own private practice in Ridgeland. She earned her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law, now Mississippi Christian University, in 2017 and was admitted to the state bar the same year.

Ali, in a statement on social media, said she will uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law.

“I was born in the United States, and as both an attorney and a judge, I am committed to upholding the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Mississippi,” Ali wrote. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Benoit and will approach this responsibility with fairness, integrity, impartiality, and respect for the law.”

On Monday, Ali shared her signed oath of office and Benoit’s meeting agenda showing her appointment in a post on social media for “clarity and transparency.”

Mississippi has more than 200 municipal judges, who are appointed by the city’s governing body, not the state, and who only have jurisdiction over that city. They deal with city ordinance violations, traffic violations, misdemeanor crimes and some initial appearances, according to the Mississippi State Judiciary’s website.

In cities with a population below 20,000, a municipal judge is not required to live in the area where they serve, according to an attorney general ’s opinion. Some seats are part-time appointments and judges can continue private practice.

“Ms. Ali is a very well liked and popular member of our community,” Rosenblatt said.

Some people on social media have called for her to be removed because she is Muslim. Rosenblatt pointed out that the U.S. and Mississippi constitutions expressly prohibit disqualifying someone from public office because of their religion.

“I think some of the things we’ve seen from some state officials are incredibly disrespectful to Ms. Ali, and they are in direct contradiction of the U.S. Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution,” Rosenblatt said.

Some, without documentation, claimed that Ali would implement Sharia law in Mississippi.

Sahar Aziz, a professor of law and Middle East Legal Studies Scholar at Rutgers University Law School, said there is no one Sharia law and called it “a very complicated and multi-jurisprudential legal system” subject to a multiplicity of interpretations across time, countries and cultures. She compared it to the differences of opinions and interpretations in the Catholic church.

“The accusation they’re making is a very serious one. They’re saying that simply because you are a Muslim we just presume that you are going to violate the separation between church and state. And you are going to impose whatever your interpretation is of Islam upon everyone that goes before you as a judge,” Aziz said, adding that similar accusations have been leveled against other public officials across the U.S.

“It’s not relevant at all to the United States,” Aziz said. “No more relevant than the question: Will an Orthodox Jew impose Jewish law in the U.S. if he or she is a judge? Will an orthodox, practicing Catholic impose canon law on the parties which they’re adjudicating?”

In 2015, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law banning any foreign law from being enforced in Mississippi, which at the time was billed as being an anti-Sharia law measure. There had been several previous unsuccessful attempts to pass similar measures, with opponents pointing out it seemed to be a “solution in search of a problem.”

In a 2024 post about a proclamation from Republican Gov. Tate Reeves celebrating Arab American Heritage Month, Ali wrote, “This means the world to the Arab community, my children, and future generations. This is why I love this state!”

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This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.