Virginia’s attorney general opens probe into pro-Palestine nonprofit 

Virginia’s attorney general opened a probe into a pro-Palestine nonprofit Tuesday, including to determine if the organization used funds to benefit “terrorist organizations.”

“Attorney General Jason Miyares today announced that the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section has opened an investigation into AJP Educational Foundation, Inc., also known as American Muslims for Palestine, for potential violations of Virginia’s charitable solicitation laws,” a news release from the Miyares’s office reads.

“The Attorney General’s Office has reason to believe that the organization may be soliciting contributions in the Commonwealth without first having registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,” the release continues. “In addition, the Attorney General will investigate allegations that the organization may have used funds raised for impermissible purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations.”

The probe comes in the midst of the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group, condemned Miyares for the probe in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, calling it “dangerous and defamatory political posturing.”

“Our legal team is in communication with @AMPalestine to help protect their rights,” the post continued. “Targeting Muslim and Palestinian American organizations with baseless and irresponsible smears threatens the safety of their staffers and the communities they serve. From the #McCarthy era to the Civil Rights Movement to the post-9/11 years, we have seen politicians use this playbook before. These witch hunts will not stand, God willing.”

CAIR said last week that the number of Islamophobic incidents since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict earlier this month has drastically risen. It said it had received 774 complaints and reported incidents of bias since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, the largest number of complaints in a similar period since former President Trump announced plans for a Muslim ban in 2015.

“Anyone with a conscience should be deeply concerned by this sudden rise in complaints amid an atmosphere of rampant anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Palestinian racism,” said Corey Saylor, the research and advocacy director at CAIR.