|
 |
|
"Washington Notes" is MPAC's weekly round-up of Washington, DC news and events that impact the American Muslim community. By highlighting Congressional hearings and policy forums, MPAC connects you directly with the Senate, House of Representatives, think-tanks, organizations, and federal agencies. We monitor important conversations on Islam and Muslims in order to enhance the role of American Muslims in the future of our nation. We invite you to do the same...
|
|
June 6, 2006
HEARING: "9/11 Commission Recommendations: Balancing Civil Liberties and Security"
Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations
Presiding Chair: Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT)
"Issues of the past year have highlighted the value of the 9/11 Commission's foresight, and also the importance of creating strong legislation that will balance security and civil liberties. We must protect our civil liberties, because if we do not the terrorists will have won. At the same time, we must protect our citizens. We owe nothing less to the victims of 9/11, the families of the fallen and the citizens of the United States of America." - Chirstopher Shays (R-CA)
SEE: "Opening Statement by Rep. Christopher Shays" (Committee on Government Reform, 6/6/06)
SEE ALSO: "9/11 Commission Recommendations: Balancing Civil Liberties and Security" (Committee on Government Reform, 6/6/06)
June 3, 2006
MUSLIM STAFFERS ON MISSION TO EDUCATE CONGRESS
"Understanding of Islam -- and acceptance of American Muslims -- has sometimes seemed as lacking among national leaders as it has elsewhere in the land. In fact, getting Americans to think of Islam as a U.S. religion rather than a foreign one is a big part of the challenge, said John Voll, a Georgetown University professor of Islamic history and expert on Muslim-Christian relations. The number of American Muslims is usually estimated at 6 million to 7 million, about 2% of the population. It's believed about 40% are black and 60% immigrants and offspring from dozens of nations, said Voll." - Detroit Free Press
SEE: "Legislative Aides Aim to Lift Islam's Image" (Detroit Free Press, 6/3/06)
SEE ALSO: "Muslim Staff Members on Mission to Educate Congress" (New York Times, 6/3/06)
June 7, 2006
HEARING: "Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, Two Years Later: Next Steps for U.S. Policy"
Committee on International Relations
Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia
Presiding Chair: Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
"Syria is governed under the threat of a set of Emergency Laws that empowers the Syrian authorities to arrest anyone for any reason bypassing whatever constitutional protections Syrians have. These laws have been enforced ever since the Syrian Ba'ath Party came to power, exactly 43 years ago. Using these emergency laws, in the last few weeks, many dissidents have been arrested and some exposed to beating.
"I also want to mention that many Syrians languish in Iraqi jails and we hope this Subcommittee helps to free the innocent so that they can return to their families. On this score, we urge you to inquire with the Department of Defense of their fate in Iraq. This will go a long way in showing that the US Congress stands by the Syrian people in their suffering whether at home or elsewhere." - Farid Ghadry, President of the Reform Party of Syria
SEE: "Statement by Farid Ghadry, President of the Reform Party of Syria" (Committee on International Relations, 6/7/06)
SEE ALSO: "Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, Two Years Later: Next Steps for U.S. Policy" (House Committee on International Relations, 6/7/06)
|
|
June 6, 2006
HEARING: "Examining DOJ's Investigation of Journalists Who Publish Classified Information"
Judiciary Committee
Presiding Chair: Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)
"Today the Committee considers the important question of how to strike the proper balance between secrecy and openness in matters that touch on national security. I have long been a champion of open government and a vibrant and independent press. I also understand that the collective security of our nation is critical to sustaining our democracy, and there will always be a need to classify some information in the interest of national security... I am deeply troubled by the Attorney General's remarks and the specter of Government intimidation of the press if the espionage laws are used in ways not intended by Congress." - Patrick Leahy, (D-VT)
SEE: "Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee" (Judiciary Committee, 6/6/06)
SEE ALSO: "Examining DOJ's Investigation of Journalists Who Publish Classified Information: Lessons from the Jack Anderson Case" (Judiciary Committee, 6/6/06)
June 7, 2006
HEARING: "Oil Dependence and Economic Risk"
Committee on Foreign Relations
Presiding Chair: Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
"Our diplomatic activities around the world are being 'warped' by petro-politics. Important foreign policy goals -- from accelerating progress in the developing world and expanding trade, to preventing weapons proliferation and promoting democratic reform -- are being undermined by international energy imbalances that have weakened our foreign policy leverage, while strengthening the hand of oil-rich authoritarian governments. Eventually, because of scarcity, terrorist threats, market shocks, and foreign manipulation, the high price of oil will lead to enormous investment in and political support for alternatives. The problem is that by the time sufficient motivation comes to markets, it may be too late to prevent the severe economic and security consequences of our oil dependence." - Senator Richard Lugar
SEE: "Opening Statement by Chairman Richard G. Lugar" (Committee on Foreign Relations, 6/7/06)
SEE ALSO: "Statement of Alan Greenspan" (Committee on Foreign Relations, 6/7/06)
SEE ALSO: "Oil Dependence and Economic Risk" (Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 6/7/06)
|
|
June 5, 2006
BUSH COMMITTED TO END GENOCIDE IN DARFUR
"We (Sudanese President Sassou Nguesso and President Bush) talked about our common commitment to help end the genocide in Darfur. I appreciate the President's leadership in helping negotiate a peace agreement" - President George W. Bush
SEE: "President Bush Welcomes President Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo to the White House" (White House, 6/5/06)
"President Bush said Monday that it's important for United Nations forces to take over peacekeeping as soon as possible in the Darfur region of Sudan where nearly 200,000 people have died in a three-year conflict." - Washington Post
SEE ALSO: "Bush, President of Congo Discuss Darfur" (Washington Post, 6/5/06)
"It has been nearly four weeks since a peace agreement was signed between the Sudanese Government and one of the rebel groups, but violence, hunger and disease continue to claim innocent lives. A tragedy like this is bigger than any of us as individuals, but it's not too big if we join together in constructive action – as individuals, as private relief organizations, and as nations. America is a great and good nation with the power to help stop this. But it will take sustained attention. It should shame the White House and the Congress to reflect on the fact that we know we are not doing enough." - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
SEE: "Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, Congressional Record, Washington Dawdles While Darfur Suffers" (Senator Patrick Leahy, 6/6/06)
SEE ALSO: Darfur Resource Center (Citizens for Global Solutions, 6/06)
|
|
June 8, 2006
AL-ZARQAWI KILLED IN IRAQ
"United States military forces killed the terrorist al Zarqawi. At 6:15 p.m. [Wednesday] Baghdad time, special operation forces, acting on tips and intelligence from Iraqis, confirmed Zarqawi's location, and delivered justice to the most wanted terrorist in Iraq. Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues. We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue. Yet the ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders." - President George W. Bush
SEE: "Statement by the President on Death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi" (White House, 6/8/06)
"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the mastermind behind hundreds of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq, was killed early Wednesday by an air strike north of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday. U.S. warplanes dropped two 500-pound bombs on a house in which Zarqawi was meeting with other insurgent leaders. His killing is the most significant public triumph for the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq since the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein." - Washington Post
SEE: "Insurgent Leader Al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq" (Washington Post, 6/8/06)
June 4, 2006
TERROR SUSPECTS INVESTIGATED IN CANADA
"Police in Canada have arrested and charged 12 men who they say were planning an 'al-Qaeda-inspired' bombing campaign in and around Toronto. They seized bomb-making materials in a series of raids in Toronto, including three metric tons of ammonium nitrate. Police said those arrested on Friday were all Canadian residents 'of different origins', most of them citizens - some were students, some employed, others unemployed. Muslim leaders in Toronto have condemned the planned attack and said extremist messages had been preached in some area mosques in recent years." - BBC
SEE: "Canada Charges 17 Terror Suspects" (BBC, 6/4/06)
"Prosecutors have accused some of the 17 Muslim terror suspects arrested in Canada of plotting to storm Parliament, take hostages and behead the prime minister unless Canada withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, an attorney for one of the suspects said." - New York Times
SEE ALSO: "Canada Plot Allegedly Involved PM Attack" (New York Times, 6/7/06)
"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday there was no indication that 17 terror suspects arrested in Canada were trying to plan an attack in the United States. 'We certainly don't believe that there's any link to the United States, but obviously we will follow up,' Rice said. She described cooperation between the United States and Canada on counterterrorism as excellent." - Los Angeles Times
SEE: "Rice: No Signs Canada Suspects Eyed U.S." (Los Angeles Times, 6/5/06)
|
|
May 2006
POLITICAL ISLAM IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
"What do Islamists really want? The three Islamist leaders made the following points during the short presentations and responses to questions during the meeting and in substantive discussions before and afterwards. They represent Islamists' views of themselves, or at least their self-representations before a critical, Western audience. In some instances, interviews, articles, and speeches by one or more Islamist panelists were consulted to have a better sense of their positions on key issues: rising confidence in democratic participation and procedures, commitment to democratic norms compatible with Islam, flexibility on application of sharia, cautious on relations with the United States" - Abdeslam Maghraoui, Director of the Muslim World Initiate at the U.S. Institute of Peace
SEE: "What Do Islamists Really Want?" (United States Institute of Peace, 5/06)
June 6, 2006
POLL SHOWS MUSLIM WOMEN WANT WESTERN TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICAL FREEDOM, BUT DON'T CONSIDER WESTERN CULTURE NECESSARY FOR MUSLIM PROGRESS
"The Gallup Organization has found many Muslim women admire western values, but do not necessarily want them applied in their culture. Of the poll's findings, Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director of the Gallup Muslim Studies, said strong majorities of Muslim women in nearly all of the countries surveyed believe they deserve the right to vote, the right to drive, the right to work outside the home and the right to serve in government. She said many respondents also expressed admiration for political freedoms and legal gender equality they see in the west.
"But Mogahed added that, while the respondents expressed admiration for some western values, they did not consider these values necessary for the development of their society. 'Muslim women did not choose 'adopting western values will help Muslim progress.' In fact, this statement was least often associated with the Muslim world. The statement most often associated with the Muslim world was "attachment to spiritual and moral values is crucial to their progress,' she said." - Voice of America
SEE: "Poll Finds Muslim Women Admire Western Values, But Don't Want to Imitate Them" (Voice of America, 6/6/06)
|
Our Newsletter System
Please take a moment now and update your MPACnews subscription information. Use the 'manage your preferences' link at the very bottom of this email.
Also, please take a moment to save our email address (news@mpac.org) into your "safe list" or address book to ensure MPAC emails go directly to your Inbox.
|
|
HOUSE