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AAI Asks Attorney General to Help Stop New Tide of Anti-Arab Bigotry

AAI
Posted on Tuesday January 9, 2007

WASHINGTON – Jan. 9, 2007 – In response to concerns about the increasing level of negativity openly directed towards Arab and Muslim Americans, leaders from the Arab American Institute (AAI) and other key Arab American and Muslim American organizations met with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to request that the federal government help quell the recent tide of bigotry.

AAI and leaders from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Muslim Advocates also sought clarification and action on policies concerning racial profiling, suspension of habeas corpus, oversight of watch lists, and donations to charities in the Middle East.

The groups also urged the Attorney General to support the termination of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) or “special registration,” a program which began as an initiative of the Justice Department. While presented to the public as a counter-terrorism measure, the progrm has instead compromised the relationship between law enforcement and the Arab and Muslim immigrant communities and damaged the US image abroad while failing to contribute significantly to national security.

AAI Chairman George Salem and AAI President Dr. James Zogby asked that the Attorney General’s office provide leadership for the country in helping to reverse this disturbing and increasingly accepted trend of anti-Arab and Muslim bias. AAI requested that Gonzales publicly acknowledge the many contributions of Arab and Muslim Americans towards ensuring national security, as well as provide a lecture series for Department of Justice employees that would offer them an opportunity to learn more about Islam, the Arab world, and Arab and Muslim Americans.

“Sadly, the past year has demonstrated how tolerant our national discourse has become of bigotry toward Arab and Muslim Americans,” Zogby said. “We call upon the Attorney General and the Department of Justice to provide the leadership and unity—building they did in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks on a more consistent basis.”

The meeting also acknowledged the efforts of the department’s Civil Rights division and asked that it be given all the resources the division needs in order to protect the civil rights of all Americans.