Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) at a news conference in July. File photo by Elijah Pittman.
Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) on Monday nominated Adileh Sharieff to the Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention, the latest chapter in the controversy over the makeup of the panel in the wake of the war in Gaza.
Sharieff, a Montgomery County resident, is a former trustee at the Islamic Center of Maryland who co-chaired the Muslim Cohort of the Montgomery County Council Anti-Hate Task Force. She has worked with several groups across the state to combat food insecurity and other inequities, especially since the pandemic.
“At a time of increased reports of hate activity in Maryland, including anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate, I am confident that Ms. Sharieff will bring a critical voice to the diverse group of stakeholders that we have convened to help eradicate hate in our schools and communities,” Brown said in a statement.
Brown serves as the chair of the commission, which was formally created by legislation in the 2023 General Assembly session to seek ways to improve Maryland’s response to incidents of hate, and his office oversees its work. The commission grew out of a state task force on hate crimes that had been operating less formally for two years with a federal grant.