Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)

This piece originally appeared in the April 2003 issue of "The Force," the newsletter of Asian and Pacific Islanders for Community Empowerment (API ForCE)

ASATA, the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, was formed 3 years ago, to address oppression and exploitation within and against the South Asian community. After September 11th, 2001, South Asian, Arab and Muslim communities faced a sharp increase in hate violence. ASATA immediately began working to educate community members on their rights and act as their advocate through media and youth programs. Simultaneously, ASATA recognized that the hostility against Muslims in the United States only served to aggravate the environment of increased violence against Muslims in South Asia. Although ASATA continued to focus explicitly on antagonism against Muslims in the U.S., these connections in anti-Muslim sentiment around the world provided broader context for its work.