Charlottesville trial

Beyond Polarization: How Jewish and Muslim Communities Build Coalitions Against Extremism

Charlottesville trial

combating antisemitism

combating Islamophobia

great replacement theory

interfaith coalitions

Jewish Council for Public Affairs

salam al-marayati

On September 2, 2026 By MPAC

How do minority communities protect democracy when extremist rhetoric moves from the fringes into the political mainstream? On this episode of the MPAC Podcast, host Salam Al-Marayati sits down with Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). Drawing from her leadership in the historic federal civil lawsuit against the Charlottesville neo-Nazis that secured a $26 million verdict, Amy unpacks the mechanics of modern white supremacy, the lethal reach of the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, and why Jewish and Muslim safety are inextricably linked. Together, they dive candidly into difficult conversations: the normalization of anti-Muslim tropes during election cycles, controversial rhetoric at recent domestic summits, resisting the "litmus test" culture designed to fracture alliances, and the necessity of building resilient, pro-democracy coalitions across communities. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: Salam Al-Marayati welcomes Amy Spitalnick (JCPA) 01:13 – The Charlottesville lawsuit: Lessons from winning a $26M federal verdict 03:45 – The Great Replacement theory from Europe to Buffalo and Christchurch 05:34 – Intertwined futures: Why anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim animus are linked 08:01 – Election cycle rhetoric and the mainstreaming of Islamophobia 10:26 – Unflattening the discourse: Holding two truths and distinguishing community from extremists 14:30 – Accountability within institutions and pushing back against bigoted rhetoric 20:50 – Dividing coalitions: Moving past manufactured litmus tests 25:38 – Protecting pluralism and the shared mission for American democracy Subscribe to MPAC's channel: http://bit.ly/MPACYouTube Like MPAC on Facebook: http://fb.com/mpacnational Follow MPAC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mpac_national Follow MPAC on Instagram: http://instagram.com/mpac_national Visit MPAC's website: http://mpac.org About the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) We improve public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities. Help us to continue this work by making a donation today: http://mpac.org/give.