Binaifer Nowrojee

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The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran was not just a war against Iran’s military. It was a high-speed, systematic assault on an entire society—with little prospect of accountability. We must effectively regulate this new, high-pace, mass-scale of warfare before it becomes the norm.

Prejudice, dehumanization, and violence against Muslims and Jews––fueled by deep injustices in the Middle East––have led to corrosive hate. This week, we were proud to announce a new $30 million, three-year initiative to support organizations working to address an alarming surge of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate.

For more than 50 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has endeavored to protect those most vulnerable to hate, safeguard communities, and advance the principle that every person in this country deserves dignity and equal treatment. We are living through a broader moment that demands we name what we are seeing. The organizations and institutions that protect our democracy are under sustained and coordinated pressure. There is a documented pattern of the federal government threatening nonprofit organizations, law firms, and even public servants who disagree with the current administration, a pattern that courts have rebuked repeatedly. And as with law firms and universities, financial institutions and other intermediaries critical to charitable work now appear to be acting out of intimidation. When donor-advised fund sponsors preemptively decline to process contributions to civil rights organizations, the effect is no different from any other form of targeted pressure. It chills free speech and erodes our democracy. As funders committed to democracy, justice, and the long-term health of civil society, we boldly stand with the Southern Poverty Law Center and with the broader civil rights community. We will continue to resource organizations defending rights and freedoms. And we will continue to call out the difference between legitimate accountability and the use of government power to silence critics. Our democracy depends on a vibrant civil society and the freedom to organize, advocate, litigate, and express alternative points of view. We will not back down from the defense of our most vital freedoms. This moment calls for a united voice. We hope you will join us.

So great to speak with Dina Chaerani about how bodily autonomy is the first right women need: “If women cannot control when they have sex, who they have sex with, when they have children, how many children they have—they cannot control their lives.” laprogressive.com/sponsored/at-w…

Congratulations to Open Society President Binaifer Nowrojee @NowrojeeOSF for being named one of Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2026 by @Washingtonian Magazine! This recognition reflects what so many already know: Binaifer is leading Open Society as it confronts key global challenges and reimagines the fight for human rights. Many of our partners also made the list. Together, we are building a future where everyone’s rights are protected, their freedoms are real, and the opportunity to thrive belongs to all.

I’m proud to see so many of @OpenSociety’s partners recognized on this list — the people doing the hard work of building a future where everyone’s rights are protected. Honored to stand beside them.

The future is being shaped by the people who live these realities. We are proud to walk alongside them.

Look at any difficult situation and you will see people driving change. These communities don't simply wait for their turn. They lead. And at @OpenSociety, this work is at the heart of what we do.

Behind each social justice movement lies decades of organizing––women, LGBTQ+ communities, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, care workers, and informal workers building power from the ground up, often at great personal cost.

At @WomenDeliver 2026, I’ve been inspired by courageous feminists on the frontlines of the fight for gender justice, often in the most difficult situations. From grassroots movements to feminist approaches to tech, thousands of women leaders are moving power where it belongs.

The smallest coffins are the heaviest. We must not allow them to be the easiest to forget.

We owe Makan Nasiri, and every child killed in these conflicts, more than memory. We owe them a world where those responsible for their deaths are held to account, not as an abstraction, but as a matter of law, consequence, and moral obligation.

Makan and Leila were not the first children to die at the hands of states in this region, and they will not be the last.