Assma Ali has made history. The daughter of Yemeni immigrants to the United States, Ali is now municipal judge for the City of Benoit, a small town in southwest Bolivar County in the Mississippi Delta.

Ali was sworn in as municipal judge on Aug. 5. She has spent nearly a decade serving as an attorney in Mississippi after graduating with her law degree from Mississippi Christian University (formerly Mississippi College) in 2017 and interned in both Rankin and Madison counties while attending law school.

“I hope that I’m given a chance to serve,” Ali told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday.

Municipal judges are responsible for hearing all cases charging violations of municipal ordinances and state misdemeanor laws within a given municipality. In municipal court, judges rule from the bench and do not rely on a jury.

Although Benoit has fewer than 400 residents, news of Ali’s appointment quickly spread on social media over the weekend, along with plenty of misinformation and harassment.

Influencers and politicians across Mississippi spread misinformation online alleging Ali was appointed in Ridgeland—nearly 130 miles from Benoit—as a new municipal judge.

“I never mentioned the word Ridgeland at all, and Ridgeland cannot even appoint me because I don’t even live (there)” Ali told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday. “My office is in Ridgeland, so I think that’s kind of where it started, and so I’m labeled as a liar…, but I never uttered the word Ridgeland, never—in any of my posts— never uttered the word Ridgeland.”

The City of Ridgeland published a press release Monday refuting the claim as well.

“The City of Ridgeland was at the center of some attention over the weekend following the online misinformation regarding the appointment of a Municipal Court Judge,” Ridgeland Public Relations Director Kim Cooper said in the press release.

Both of Ridgeland’s Municipal Court Judges were appointed in 2001, Cooper said in the press release, and there are neither new appointments nor open positions for municipal judges in Ridgeland.

Under Mississippi law, municipalities with 10,000 or fewer residents are not required to appoint a municipal judge. If the municipality does so and its population is 20,000 or fewer residents, the judge must be a licensed Mississippi attorney or a justice court judge in the county where the municipality is located.

Read More:

While Ali and the City of Ridgeland worked to clarify the misinformation about Ali’s appointment this week, Ali’s office was already receiving threats.

“What I can tell you is that it is really bad,” Ali told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday, noting that her ability to comment on the situation is limited due to her responsibilities as a judge.

Ali is Muslim and chooses to wear a hijab. Much of the online criticism against her centers on her religion.

“I was born in the US,” Ali told the Mississippi Free Press. “I went to school in the US. I have all the accreditations to be a judge. I’m not anti-Christ. I went to a Christian Law School—as a matter of fact, I have a study room at a Christian law school that I pay for.”

Mississippi Sen. Michael McLendon, R-Hernando, called for her removal from office.

“Now I am calling on Assma Ali’s friends in high places, including our state leaders, to speak up and join me in demanding that the Town of Benoit call a special meeting and take every lawful step necessary to remove her from the municipal bench,” McLendon posted on Facebook on Monday. “I believe in God we trust not Mohamed.”

McLendon also said that Mississippi “WILL NOT BECOME THE NEXT DEARBORN, MICHIGAN ON MY WATCH.” Dearborn became the first American city with a majority-Muslim population in 2023. It is also home to the largest mosque in North America.

Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, a Republican candidate for governor, vowed on Monday to ban Sharia law if elected governor, though he did not mention Assma in his post.

“I only represent… one law, and that’s the US Constitution,” Ali told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday. “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?”

“It’s really bad and it’s really sad because, as an American, I never thought I would face this,” Ali told the Mississippi Free Press on Monday.

McLendon was not available for comment. The City of Benoit was not available for comment.

Source: mississippifreepress.org