After arriving in the United States, Suwaij taught Arabic at Yale University and worked resettling Sudanese refugees in the United States. In 2001, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, she co-founded the American Islamic Congress to "represent those American Muslims who cherished the freedoms of the U.S. after living under repressive regimes." Suwaij was a prominent public supporter of the 2003 U.S. war with Iraq. In 2004, she spoke at the Republican National Convention, restating her support for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.