A Mississippi town with only a few hundred residents marked a historic first with the appointment of its first Muslim judge — a milestone that was quickly met with a wave of online hostility.
Assma Ali took the oath of office as a municipal judge for the City of Benoit on August 5. Before joining the bench, she worked as an immigration attorney in Mississippi and established her own law practice.
‘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 on social media after being sworn in.
‘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.’
News of Ali’s appointment spread across social media, drawing messages of support from some users while prompting others to accuse her, without evidence, of seeking to impose Sharia law.
Among the most outspoken critics has been Republican State Senator Michael McLendon, who has repeatedly used social media to question Ali’s place on the bench.
‘Why are so many Mississippi legislators, 2027 statewide candidates, and state leaders completely SILENT about the appointment of immigration attorney and hijab-wearing Assma Ali to the bench?’ McLendon wrote on X earlier this week.
‘Is it because of her DEEP connections to the establishment in state government? These politicians never seem to have trouble finding their voice when it’s politically convenient.
Assma Ali, a lawyer in Mississippi, has been appointed to serve as a municipal judge in Benoit
Republican State Senator Michael McLendon has called for Ali’s removal in a series of social media posts
Ali took her oath of office later this month and faced a firestorm of online attacks. She’s pictured above receiving an award
‘Where are they now? Mississippians deserve to know where EVERY elected leader and statewide candidate stands on this appointment. The silence is DEAFENING.’
After Ali’s appointment, McLendon declared on X, ‘Ban Sharia Law. Stop socialism. Pass the SAVE America Act. This is the way.’
Ali told Our News Outlet that she wanted to make it ‘unequivocally clear that her decisions from the bench will be based solely on the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Mississippi.
‘I will not impose Sharia law, and it will have no place in my courtroom,’ she added.
Ali also said that she was focusing on taking her responsibilities seriously, faithfully performing the job and allowing her work to speak for itself.
McLendon has now called on Ali’s ‘friends in high places’ to demand that the town call a special meeting to remove her from the bench.
He also declared that he would not let Mississippi ‘become the next Dearborn, Michigan,’ referring to the first American city with a majority Muslim population.
Amy Mekelburg, the founder and editor-in-chief of the RAIR Foundation, a conservative activist media organization, called Ali a ‘full-sharia-hijab immigration attorney with radical networks.’
Andy Gipson, Mississippi’s Republican Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce and a 2027 candidate for governor, echoed a similar sentiment on X, promising not to allow the state to become ‘another Dearborn.’
‘I am not the Governor of Mississippi – yet. But when you elect me, I guarantee you this: I will ban Sharia law and the influence of Islam in Mississippi on Day One of my administration, by Executive Order and by Special Session, if necessary. It should have been done long before now,’ he also wrote.
McLendon said that ‘Mississippians deserve to know where EVERY elected leader and statewide candidate stands on this appointment. The silence is DEAFENING’
Ali denied any accusations that she would implement Sharia law. She promised to enforce the laws of Mississippi and the Constitution
The Mississippi Legislature has already banned any foreign law, including Sharia law, from being enforced in the state.
The First Amendment to the Constitution also establishes the separation of Church and State and allows for religious freedom.
Sahar Aziz, a professor of law and Middle East Legal Studies Scholar at Rutgers University Law School, told Mississippi Today that the accusation critics are making that Ali could implement Sharia law was ‘not relevant at all to the United States.’
‘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 Sharia law is a ‘very complicated and multi-jurisprudential legal system.’
Benoit Mayor Linda Carter also released a statement noting that Mississippi’s state Constitution Article 3, Section 18 prohibited religious tests for office.
Ali told the Mississippi Free Press that she has been receiving threats since her appointment.
‘It’s really bad and it’s really sad because, as an American, I never thought I would face this,’ she said.
‘I only represent… one law, and that’s the US Constitution. There is no other law that I’m going to enforce because it doesn’t make sense that I’d enforce any other law. As a person born and raised in the US, why am I disqualified? Just because I’m Muslim?’
Ali decided to take a break from social media after the attacks. She told Mississippi Today that the backlash was ‘really bad, and it’s really sad’
A number of conservatives, including Amy Mek and Andy Gipson, questioned Ali’s appointment
In a recent online statement, Ali said she appreciated the confidence Benoit has placed in her but would be stepping away from social media.
‘My focus remains where it has always been: serving my community, upholding the Constitution, and faithfully performing the duties of the office I have been given,’ she added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Ali and McLendon for additional comment.
