• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

3

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

1

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

2

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

3

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
MPWMost Powerful Women

How Donald Trump Inspired This Muslim-American Woman to Start a PAC

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 14, 2016, 4:15 PM ET
Courtesy of Mirriam Seddiq
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Ironically, it was Donald Trump’s implication that Muslim-American women are not allowed to speak that inspired Mirriam Seddiq to find her voice.

The Republican nominee has made a series of controversial statements about Islam and Muslim immigrants, but perhaps one of the most memorable was a comment he made to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos during the Democratic National Convention.

Speaking about Ghazala Khan, whose son Captain Humayun Khan died while serving in Iraq in 2004 and who stood on stage while her husband delivered a speech at the DNC, Trump said: “His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably—maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say.”

The claim that Khan, and by implication, other Muslim-American women, isn’t allowed to speak is false— indeed, the Gold Star mother wrote an editorial in the Washington Post refuting Trump’s comments. However, the idea that Muslim women have often been without a platform to make their voices heard is all too true, says Mirriam Seddiq, a Maryland-based criminal defense lawyer. “We [Muslim women] let this happen to us because we don’t raise our voices and don’t raise money,” Seddiq says.

To remedy that, she launched in August the first-ever political action committee for Muslim-American women, a project she says sprung from her own search for place to channel her frustration with the current political climate.

“I had been looking to see where I could put my energies and my efforts…there are lots of groups that work towards empowering Muslim women, some ethnically-divided groups, but nothing for us. No Emily’s list for us.”

So Seddiq decided to create the American Muslim Women Political Action Committee, an organization that is “purely political,” she says. “It’s not about charity. It’s not about needing a helping hand.”

Subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

“There are so many of us who know politics, who are involved in policy, but we’re only there for the photo op,” she says. “You don’t get seat at the table unless you raise money and raise your voice.”

The AMW PAC has already endorsed Hillary Clinton and intends to model itself after Emily’s List, which aims to help elect pro-choice Democratic female candidates to office. Seddiq’s PAC, however, will focus on issues affecting Muslim-American women specifically and will not endorse female candidates if their platforms don’t align.

For example, the PAC will not be endorsing Gov. Maggie Hassan for New Hampshire’s Senate seat because she called for a complete halt of Syrian refugees coming into the U.S.

“I’m warning Washington: You cannot ignore us,” says Seddiq. “If we’re going to take you seriously, you have to take us seriously.”

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

z
PoliticsElections
Zohran’s primary of power: the Democrat that Republicans fear most runs New York City
By Steve Peoples, Anthony Izaguirre, Matt Brown and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
7 hours ago
Trump caught on hot mic saying one word to EU’s top official at the G7: ‘Greenland’
EuropeDonald Trump
Trump caught on hot mic saying one word to EU’s top official at the G7: ‘Greenland’
By The Associated Press, Rob Gillies, Sylvie Corbet, Darlene Superville and Collin BinkleyJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
REE Corp. chair Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh spent 40 years navigating Vietnam’s economy. Here’s what she thinks comes next
MagazineVietnam
REE Corp. chair Nguyen Thi Mai Thanh spent 40 years navigating Vietnam’s economy. Here’s what she thinks comes next
By Nicholas GordonJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
claudia
North AmericaWorld Cup
‘All of this sould prompt reflection’: Sheinbaum says World Cup tickets are too expensive for most Mexicans
By The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
non
MPWNon-Profit
America’s nonprofits and foundations launch huge PR campaign because Washington is treating them like an enemy
By James Pollard and The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Stella Li speaking on stage
C-SuiteBYD
BYD wants to become the world’s largest automaker in five years. Stella Li is the executive selling that vision to the world
By Beatrice NolanJune 15, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
14 hours ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Vanguard's alarming state of retirement in 2026: The average American has $167,970 in their account—or they have $44,115
Personal Finance
Vanguard's alarming state of retirement in 2026: The average American has $167,970 in their account—or they have $44,115
By Nick LichtenbergJune 17, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.