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Blog — Profiling
Thursday March 07, 2013
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
Tuesday February 19, 2013
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
Wednesday February 13, 2013
She was strip-searched and jailed for more than four hours based on complaints that she, along with the two other men sitting on her row, were “conducting suspicious activity” during a flight. Read More »
Posted by Johara Hall at 2:39 pm / / Leave a comment
Tuesday February 12, 2013
President Obama will deliver his fifth State of the Union address tonight, amidst a flurry of political activity on the Hill. The speech will be his first substantive foray into the political agenda of his second administration, and many are hoping to get a sense of Obama’s priorities for the coming years. Read More »
Posted by Samer Araabi at 4:26 pm / / Leave a comment
Friday February 08, 2013
By Jennine Vari
The injunction against the NYPD is seeking to end the investigations of Muslims communities without evidence of unlawful activity. Read More »
Posted by Guest at 12:27 pm / / Leave a comment
Friday November 09, 2012
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 November 08, 2012
Even though Obama’s re-election is a small victory for advocates of civil liberties and global peace, these ideals are far from assured. What we won yesterday is little more than the possibility of future success, the hope that cool heads in the second Obama administration will be able and willing to see past the mistakes of the first. Read More »
Posted by Samer Araabi at 4:15 pm / / Leave a comment
Thursday October 04, 2012
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
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
Thursday September 13, 2012
The House of Representatives voted yesterday to extend the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act through 2017. Civil liberties advocates have long criticized FISA, which authorizes warrantless monitoring of electronic communications – from phone calls to emails – of foreigners as well as U.S. citizens. Read More »
Posted by AAI at 2:20 pm / / Leave a comment
Thursday August 23, 2012
The Arab American Institute is releasing the results of a poll conducted this summer on American attitudes toward Arabs and Muslims. AAI will release the results of the poll at a press briefing hosted by AAI president Dr. Jim Zogby. The polling data highlights how anti-Muslim and anti-Arab political rhetoric over the past two years has influenced American public opinion. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 7:05 am / / Leave a comment
Monday August 20, 2012
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 August 16, 2012
Complaints of racial profiling at Logan International Airport have revealed that Boston might not be the model of Transport Security Administration practices after all. Even more surprisingly, the complaints came from over 30 federal officers within the TSA itself. Read More »
Posted by Emily Manna at 10:57 am / / Leave a comment
Thursday August 09, 2012
Earlier this week Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was pointedly asked whether he would condemn Michele Bachmann’s witch-hunt against Arab American and American Muslim public servants. Romney refused, saying “I’m not going to tell other people what things to talk about. Those are not things that are part of my campaign.” This refusal to show leadership is troubling, but was dismissed by many as simply the former governor attempting to avoid controversy. Read More »
Posted by Frank Matt at 1:04 pm / / Leave a comment
Monday August 06, 2012
Over two years ago attorneys with the ACLU filed suit on behalf of 15 clients, including 4 U.S. military veterans who had been erroneously placed on the government’s “No Fly List.” Each of the 15 learned that they had been labeled as terrorist threats only when they were stopped from boarding planes. The lawsuit on their behalf argues that placing citizens on the No Fly List without providing them any opportunity to confront and rebut the decision or any evidence against them is unconstitutional. Since filing the suit, it has been a struggle for the case to even get its day in court. Read More »
Posted by Frank Matt at 5:30 pm / / Leave a comment
Monday August 06, 2012
The Arab American Institute is shocked and saddened by the tragic shooting that took place this weekend at the Oak Creek Sikh temple in Wisconsin. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as with the entire Sikh community. Beyond the tragic loss of life, attacks like this on places of worship target the very principle of religious liberty. Read More »
Posted by AAI at 11:05 am / / Leave a comment
Thursday August 02, 2012
Attacks on Arab American and American Muslim Public Servants
Every so often an issue emerges that presents a clear choice of right and wrong and with it a clear opportunity for public officials to demonstrate leadership. This edition of "Leadership or Pandering” takes a look at the unfounded attacks on American Muslim public servants by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and cosigned by Representatives Trent Franks (R-AZ), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Tom Rooney (R-FL) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA). Read More »
Posted by Frank Matt at 1:09 pm / / Leave a comment
Wednesday August 01, 2012
Over the past few days, POLITICO has been doing an exceptional job covering a number of the key issues we deal with on a daily basis and which affect our community politically and socially. Among others, POLITICO has covered the fallout of the Michele Bachmann’s Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy, Mitt Romney’s latest trip to Israel, and how Islamophobia is factoring into certain congressional races. We encourage you to read the following articles which are extremely informative, and shed light on the some of the arguments being used to characterize these larger issues. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 2:53 pm / / Leave a comment
Monday July 16, 2012
AAI President Jim Zogby joined CNN anchor Anderson Cooper tonight on “Anderson Cooper 360” at 8:15pm ET to discuss former Presidential contender Rep. Michele Bachmann’s controversial call for an investigation into the extent that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the U.S. government. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 7:16 pm / / Leave a comment
Thursday July 12, 2012
The most common defense by supporters of the NYPD’s tactics has been the vague claim that the NYPD has thwarted no less than 14 terrorism plots since September 11th, 2001, but a recent investigative piece from ProPublica has turned the claim on its head as an exaggeration bordering on fabrication. Read More »
Posted by Frank Matt at 12:17 pm / / Leave a comment
Looking at Iran by James Zogby
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 16, 2013
