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Thursday March 07, 2013

Act Today: Tell Your Member of Congress to Track Hate Crimes

You may be surprised to learn that federal law enforcement does not track hate crimes aimed at the Arab American community. US Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) is working to change that, and he’s asking his colleagues in the House of Representatives to help. You should too. Take action now and ask your representative to sign on to the Crowley letter. The deadline is tomorrow, Friday, March 8 Read More »

Posted by Omar Tewfik at 1:14 pm / / Leave a comment

Wednesday February 27, 2013

Protecting the Voting Rights Act

Today, the Supreme Court hears arguments on one of the most important legislative initiatives from the Civil Rights era: the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The VRA ensures that all eligible American citizens are able to vote, unimpeded by processes or regulations— from literacy tests and English-only ballots, to moving polling places and redistricting— that could effectively disenfranchise ethnic minorities. Read More »

Posted by AAI at 1:36 pm / / Leave a comment

Tuesday February 19, 2013

Democratic Senators Call on FBI to Track Hate Crimes Against Sikhs, Hindus and Arab Americans

Today, Senators Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein released the names of 26 Senators, all Democrats, who signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller to revise the FBI Hate Crime Incident Report Form (1-699) to allow for the collection and tracking of hate crimes committed against Sikhs, Hindus, and Arab Americans. There have been other congressional initiatives to track crimes against Sikhs, but the Durbin/Feinstein letter is the first time Arab Americans have been included. On the House side, Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) is seeking signatures for his own letter which includes all three communities. Read More »

Posted by Omar Tewfik at 5:20 pm / / Leave a comment

Tuesday February 12, 2013

ACT TODAY: Tell Your Senators the FBI Should Track Hate Crimes Against Arab Americans

There is a problem with the way federal law enforcement tracks hate crimes aimed at the Arab American community: they don’t. In the past ten years, there have been more than 800 incidents involving “violence, threats, vandalism, and arson against persons perceived to be Muslim or to be of Arab, Middle Eastern, or South Asian origin.” Federal charges have been brought in only a handful of cases, with only 45 convictions as of March 29, 2011. Read More »

Posted by Omar Tewfik at 2:55 pm / / Leave a comment

Friday November 09, 2012

Human Rights Commission Holds Briefing on Anti-Arab, Muslim Sentiment Post 9/11

Today the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) convened a briefing on Federal Civil Rights Engagement with the Arab and Muslim American Communities Post 9/11. The commission hosted three panels to address “the success and failure of the federal government in engaging the Arab and Muslim American community post 9/11.” Read More »

Posted by Omar Tewfik at 4:59 pm / / Leave a comment

Thursday October 04, 2012

Presidential Debate Sidesteps Civil Liberties

Last night’s presidential debate focused on a wide range of important political issues, and displayed many of the significant differences – and similarities – between the two candidates. However, the issues ignored by the debate were equally illustrative. Read More »

Posted by Samer Araabi at 4:03 pm / / Leave a comment

Monday September 17, 2012

Senate to Hold Hearing on Hate Crimes

On September 19, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to convene a hearing on hate crimes and domestic extremism. While the hearing has been spurred, in part, by the recent tragedy in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, it will seek to elevate the concerns surrounding hate crimes and domestic extremism that all communities and Americans face in this country. Read More »

Posted by Samer Araabi at 3:56 pm / / Leave a comment

Monday August 20, 2012

Orange County Mosque Spying Case Highlights Need for State Secrets Reform

It is a disturbing trend that the federal government possesses near limitless power to end litigation with the mere assertion that they were acting in secret in the interest of national security. It is especially troubling when cases involving the basic constitutional rights of American citizens have been violated. The state secrets privilege also has a well-documented history of abuse, as it is more often than not used to shield government agencies from embarrassment or revelations of gross misconduct. This is most likely the case with “Operation Flex.” Read More »

Posted by Frank Matt at 3:44 pm / / Leave a comment

Thursday May 31, 2012

Racial Bias in FBI Training Materials: It’s Worse than You Thought

Newly released FBI materials obtained by the ACLU through the Freedom of Information Act reveal that problems of misinformation and racial bias are not limited to materials about American Muslims, but are pervasive throughout the FBI’s training programs. Read More »

Posted by Frank Matt at 2:02 pm / / Leave a comment

Thursday May 24, 2012

Viewpoint with James Zogby: Islamophobia and Surveillance

AAI President Jim Zogby and Executive Director Maya Berry co-host the latest episode of Viewpoint with James Zogby and discuss a wide-range of issues, including the roots and driving forces of Islamophobia in the United States as well as the use of surveillance and infiltration techniques used by local and federal law enforcement agencies to spy on ethnic and religious minorities. Guests include, Matt Duss of the Center for American Progress, Sarah Posner of Religion Dispatches, and MIke German from the ACLU. Read More »

Posted by Omar Tewfik at 2:19 pm / / Leave a comment

Tuesday May 15, 2012

Take Action: Investigate Unconstitutional Racial Profiling

The tide is finally turning against racial profiling and Islamophobia, but it won’t happen without your help. Read More »

Posted by Samer Araabi at 12:56 pm / / Leave a comment