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AMMWEC Joins Historic Coalition Urging Passage of the DETERRENT Act

Picture Source: AMMWEC

At a time when foreign influence operations are growing more sophisticated and more aggressive, the United States faces a simple but urgent question: should America’s universities answer to transparency, or continue operating within dangerous blind spots that authoritarian regimes can exploit?

The DETERRENT Act offers a definitive answer, and the growing coalition supporting it reflects a rare moment of unity and determination in America.

In a powerful display of multi-faith, bipartisan solidarity, the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) has collaborated with 25 other faith and advocacy groups to urge the United States Senate to pass the DETERRENT Act. This important legislation aims to significantly enhance transparency regarding foreign funding that flows into American colleges and universities.

On May 4, 2026, the coalition sent a joint letter to Congress, advocating for the quick passage of H.R. 1048 / S. 1296, officially titled the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act. The bill, which received bipartisan support in the House with a vote of 241 to 169 in March 2025, is now waiting for action from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

The diversity of this coalition speaks volumes. It includes groups like B’nai B’rith International and the Hindu American Foundation, as well as the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and StandWithUs. These 26 organizations represent a wide range of religious beliefs, ethnic backgrounds, and political views. What brings them together is a common belief: American universities should not serve as channels for foreign adversarial influence, and students, faculty, and taxpayers have the right to know who is funding these academic institutions.

“The integrity of American higher education depends on the public’s right to know when adversarial foreign governments are writing checks to our universities.”

— Coalition joint letter to Congress, May 4, 2026

For AMMWEC, the decision to sign the coalition letter reflects a broader mission. The organization has long championed the cause of Muslim and multifaith women as active participants in American civic life — not bystanders. Its advocacy work spans issues from women’s rights and religious freedom to national security and democratic accountability.

By joining this coalition, AMMWEC sends a clear signal: that protecting America from authoritarian foreign interference is not a partisan issue, nor an exclusively Western concern. It is a matter of universal human dignity. When authoritarian regimes like the Islamic Republic of Iran or the Chinese Communist Party fund academic programs, they do not merely buy influence — they export repression, stifle debate, and undermine the very academic freedoms that allow women like those AMMWEC serves to thrive.

The organization’s advocacy aligns with a global vision of peace built on transparency and the rule of law — a world where no regime can secretly fund the erosion of democratic values. As AMMWEC and its coalition partners have made clear, the passage of the DETERRENT Act is a step not just for America, but for all who believe in accountable governance and open societies.

Following the House passage of H.R. 1048, the bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee, currently chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) — who is also a cosponsor of the Senate companion bill, S. 1296, introduced by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). The Senate version makes targeted modifications sought by higher education associations, including removing expanded endowment investment disclosure requirements and adding privacy protections for individual faculty — while keeping the core transparency and enforcement provisions intact for dealings with adversarial nations.

With 14 Senate cosponsors and strong public advocacy from a coalition spanning every major faith tradition in America, the bill now requires action. The coalition’s letter makes the urgency plain: the longer the Senate delays, the more time foreign adversaries have to funnel money into American campuses without accountability.

AMMWEC and the broader coalition are right to press for urgency. Every year of inaction leaves open channels for undisclosed foreign money to continue shaping American campuses behind closed doors. That is unacceptable in any healthy democracy.

The importance of this coalition might go beyond just the legislation itself. In a time filled with division, ideological battles, and distrust, seeing Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Christian, and interfaith groups come together for democratic accountability serves as a powerful reminder of what true civic unity can look like.

They all share a common belief: American universities should be places of free inquiry, not tools for foreign influence.

The DETERRENT Act brings them closer to that vision. They are urging the Senate to pass it.

About the Author
Junaid Qaiser is a writer and peace activist, renowned for his advocacy of the Abraham Accords. He is the author of "Trump’s Historic Peace Deal: Abraham Accords and the Road to Nobel Recognition". As a proponent of Middle Eastern peace, Qaiser explores diplomatic breakthroughs and their global implications.
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