Aneelah Afzali, the founder and executive director of the American Muslim Empowerment Network at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS-AMEN) in Redmond, will attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

She will be attending as a guest of U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7).

“Aneelah’s story is the American story,” said Jayapal in a press release on her website. “A Muslim American woman of color, Aneelah has devoted her life to fighting for justice and equality. The president’s policies marginalize entire communities and target people like Aneelah for their race and religious beliefs.”

Jayapal continued, “She represents everything good about our country and I could not be prouder to have her as my guest. The president cannot hide from those he is threatening. Here’s my message for Donald Trump: Our State of the Union is strong when all of our communities are strong.”

In the release, Afzali, who lives in West Seattle, said she is honored by the invitation from Jayapal, who she described as a “fierce champion for the rights of all people.”

“I’m attending the State of the Union to showcase the diversity that truly makes our country great and highlight the positive contributions of American Muslims to our nation, at a time when fearmongering and scapegoating are being used to demonize Muslims along with other minority communities,” Afzali said.

Afzali, who is a lawyer, said when politicians or commentators talk about Islam or Muslims, they should think about the effects of their words on the everyday lives of millions of American Muslims, especially the American Muslim children growing up across our nation.

“To those children, I say as a Harvard-Law educated American Muslim woman: ‘You have the right to grow up with the same hopes and dreams as any young American. You can be a fully practicing Muslim and a full-fledged American,’” she said. “Anti-Muslim hate speech is dangerous in the hate crimes that it incites against these children and their families. It is also dangerous because it sends a harmful message to millions of American Muslim kids. It can shatter their hopes for a better future, of a life fulfilled — the American Dream.”