Actions and Events

The Buddhist Coalition for Democracy expresses support for Mohsen Mahdawi and condemns his illegal detention and pending deportation under the Alien Enemies Act. Mohsen is Visionary Advisor to the Columbia University Buddhist Association and was formerly  president of the Association. The Buddhist Council of New York, the Interfaith Center of New York, and the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi have all expressed their support for Mohsen. Vermont Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch and Vermont Representative Becca Balint have called his detention “immoral, inhumane, and illegal.”

We urge Buddhist Coalition for Democracy members to write letters to their representatives asking them to condemn Mohsen’s detention and demand his immediate release.

You can donate to Mohsen’s legal defense fund here.

Coalition members in the New York City area can support Mohsen by attending  the Vesak Day Celebration at Union Theological Seminary’s James Chapel 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday April 26^th. This is an event co-sponsored by the Columbia University Buddhist Association and the Buddhist Council of New York. Coalition members can register for the event here.   You can learn more about Mohsen’s detention here and here.   

Our next general membership meeting will take place via Zoom on Wednesday April 23rd at 6:00 pm EDT.  We will send out the Zoom link by email as we get closer to that date.  Our main focus at the meeting will be to update members on organizational developments and build out our committee structure. Over 80 members have volunteered to serve on committees, and it will be a good time to get volunteers more involved.

Buddhist Coalition for Democracy members attending April 5th Hands Off! Demonstrations in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, DeMoines, New York City, Atlanta, and Santa Rosa