SYRIAN REGIME ATROCITIES MERIT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURTS INTERVENTION

(Washington, DC - 4/27/11) -- The popular uprising in Syria has escalated in recent days and weeks with the President Bashar Assad’s  increasing use of force to intimidate, disperse and kill anti-government civilian protesters. The Muslim Public Affairs Council condemns the use of violence by the Syrian government and demands intervention by the International Criminal Courts to bring perpetrators of war crimes against civilians to justice.

 

SEE: “ Syrian Crisis Tests the Mettle of Its Autocratic Ruler” (NY Times)

 

MPAC commends  President Barack Obama’s statement on Syria, which called the Syrian regime’s moves to lift the emergency law, reshuffle the cabinet and allow for pre-approved organized protests meaningless in light of the continued use of deadly violence against civilian protesters. The White House, State Department and members of Congress should call for Assad to step down as was done with former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in addition to calling for war crimes prosecution for those responsible for the violence against civilian demonstrators as has been done  in the case of Col. Muammar Qaddafi.

 

More than 450 civilians have been killed in the past four weeks in anti-government protests, which includes the more than 120 civilians killed by security forces in just the past three days. Adding to the situation is the denial of medical care to wounded civilians across the country. Meanwhile, Syrian opposition members  met in Istanbul yesterday asking for the international community to pressure Assad to halt the recent brutal crackdowns against demonstrators.

 

SEE: “Editorial: Shameful U.S. Inaction on Syria’s Massacres” (Washington Post)

 

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Chairperson of the  Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and a prominent Syrian American, issued the following statement Monday:

 

“We urge all people of conscience to call their elected officials and ask them to pressure the Syrian government to stop the killing of civilians, protect the demonstrators, provide open access to medical care, allow free access to humanitarian organizations and international media and to expedite serious political and democratic reforms that satisfy the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

 

Media coverage of the protests and subsequent crackdowns has been minimal due to limited access provided to international media outlets. In the face of such brutality against innocent civilians, it is urgent that all people of conscience contact their elected officials to take action on this crisis. We must demand unimpeded access for international media to determine the full extent of human rights violations in Syria and to hold culprits accountable.

 

ACTION REQUESTED:

• Click here to find your Representative
• Click here to find your Senator
• Call the White House:  202-456-1414 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            202-456-1414      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
• Call the U.S. State Department: 202-647-4000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            202-647-4000      end_of_the_skype_highlighting and 202-647-6575 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            202-647-6575      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
• Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of Foreign Relation Committee:  202-224-2742 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            202-224-2742      end_of_the_skype_highlighting 
• U.N. Secretary Gen. Ban Ki-moon:  212-963-5012 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            212-963-5012      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or  ecu@un.org
• Syrian Embassy: 202-232-6316 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            202-232-6316      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or  info@syrembassy.net
• If you have information about human rights violations in Syria, contact the International Criminal Court: 011-31(0)70-515-8515, 011-31-(0)70-515-8555 (f), or otp.informationdesk@icc-cp.int

 

SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS:

• Just as President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders called for the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Libyan President Col. Muammar Qaddafi, so too must they call for the immediate resignation of Syrian President Bashar Assad. His deadly attacks on peaceful demonstrators must be condemned by the U.S., if we truly support democracy and the will of the people.
• The Syrian government must immediately stop the killing of civilians, protect peaceful demonstrators, provide open access to medical care, allow free access to humanitarian organizations and international media and expedite serious political and democratic reforms that satisfy the aspirations of the Syrian people.

Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of American Muslims.

 

[CONTACT: Marium Mohiuddin,  323-258-6722 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            323-258-6722      end_of_the_skype_highlighting,  marium@mpac.org]

 

DCNV - BULLYING OF MUSLIM AMERICANS HAS SPREAD FROM THE HEADLINES TO THE CLASSROOM

BULLYING OF MUSLIM AMERICANS HAS SPREAD FROM THE HEADLINES TO THE CLASSROOM 

Last weekend, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) held a community town hall forum to address the rise of bullying against young Muslim Americans, which have increased in frequency. Many young people in schools are facing emotional and physical abused being called “terrorists” or told “to go home” on a daily basis. When hate speech is not taken seriously, it has the potential to turn violent.

The recent news that an 8-year-old boy was found hanging from a bathroom hook at his school in Louisville, KY, has shocked a whole community and school officials. The son of Somali immigrant parents, the boy was found unconscious and hospitalized with serious injuries, yet it took three weeks for his story to reach national headlines. The sad truth was that the boy had been experiencing chronic bullying, which was not addressed by the school.

The reality is that when irresponsible public officials and political pundits engage in hate speech it has real consequences on the ground. The rhetoric about the Muslim American community on talk radio, national news outlets and in many communities has become poisonous in nature.

Bullying of Muslim Americans is not limited to classrooms and playgrounds. Anti-Muslim sentiment has reared its ugly head over and over again. Consider the recent burning of a Quran by the fringe Pastor Terry Jones, the nationwide spike in anti-mosque sentiment, the recent wave of anti-shariah bills in more than a dozen states across the country, a Villa Park, CA, councilwoman’s call for violence against Muslim Americans and a recent case where aMuslim woman was refused service as a mattress store because the store manager considered her a national security threat.

Young people are the most vulnerable part of our society, and we must do whatever is needed to ensure that they feel safe and secure in our country’s schools. Bullying is not only a problem for young Muslim Americans; it affects millions of children who might be seen as different in the sight of peers and school communities.

In March, President Barack Obama held a conference on bullying to challenge the belief that bullying is a normal rite of passage for youth. He stressed that the federal government, educators, school administrators and communities all have to work together to put an end to bullying. Stopbullying.gov also was launched in order to provide resources for educators and communities on how to address bullying and keep our schools safe.

At the MPAC forum, Michael S. Hing from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights taught parents how to file a complaint if their children are being harassed based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and age in violation of federal laws. Hing emphasized the importance of documentation and reporting bullying incidents within six months. Bullying happens when peers, administrators and parents ignore the signs. Parents must ensure that this epidemic is weeded out of the dark shadows of school hallways and brought to light so that it may be addressed

It is the responsibility of faith leaders, parents, educators, government and the community to work together in order to create platforms where there can be education to promote mutual acceptance and understanding.

[CONTACT: Haris Tarin, DC Office Director, (202) 547-7701,haris@mpac.org]

Muslims #1 victims in terrorist attacks

By: Hussein Abdallah
Doha - Late last month, Yemeni officials claimed that Al Qaeda-affiliated gunmen allegedly took control of a munitions factory in southern Yemen and then booby-trapped the facility after looting it. Residents of the town who flocked to the factory afterward trying to recover what was left were caught in an explosion. Over 100 people were killed.

Terrorists claim that by carrying out similar attacks, they are protecting Islam and fighting the “enemies of God”, clarifying in countless statements that non-Muslims are their primary targets. Of course, killing anyone is wrong. And terrorist attacks carried out by Al Qaeda and affiliate groups have not exclusively targeted any specific religious, sectarian or ethnic group.

In fact, numbers and statistics show that the majority of their victims are Muslims.

A study from December 2009 by the Center for Combating Terrorism at West Point says that “the vast majority of Al Qaeda’s victims are Muslims” and that “only 15 percent of the fatalities resulting from Al Qaeda attacks between 2004 and 2008 were Westerners.”

These numbers prove that terrorists do not distinguish between Muslims and non-Muslims, and consider all people who do not agree with their ideology as “legitimate” targets of violence.

This strategy of using violence has subsequently alienated Al Qaeda from mainstream Muslims and proved to be a failure in all respects for the simple reason that it is self-destructive. Besides various statements made by Muslim groups around the world voicing their objection to terrorism and violence that cause death and destruction under the banner of Islam, Al Qaeda and similar groups have never enjoyed a large fan base among the world’s Muslim population. The Pew Global Attitudes Project found that in 2009 when researchers asked Muslims whether “suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets are justified to defend Islam from its enemies”, majorities in eight of the nine Muslim-majority countries responded that such violence could never be justified to defend Islam.

Moreover, Al Qaeda labels Muslims who do not support the group’s ideology as apostates, one of the most serious charges in Islam. Using this term loosely to accuse their enemies has only earned terrorists increasing hostility and decreasing support of the Muslim world in the past few years.

Al Qaeda’s ideology is built on highlighting differences amongst Muslims, as well as between Muslims and those of other faiths, rather than helping humanity search for common ground and move toward peace, mutual understanding and respect. It is by no means a call for “Muslim unity”, as Al Qaeda’s ideology represents a greater threat to Islam than any other religion.

On more than one occasion, Muslims around the world have presented alternatives to Al Qaeda and to violence as means to achieve political goals. The ongoing waves of change in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen reaffirm that Muslims are able to topple dictators, create policy changes, and demand freedom and democracy peacefully. As people continue to fight for their rights in this part of the world it will be even more difficult for terrorists to find a safe haven in democratic societies, as history has not seen democracies breeding terrorism the same way autocratic and oppressive regimes do.

As Arab and Muslim societies continue to march toward democratic change, Al Qaeda’s arguments will be less relevant. We are realising now that real and lasting change can only occur through peaceful uprisings as opposed to military coups or extremist ideologies that propagate violence. Al Qaeda has always used oppression in the Arab and Muslim worlds to justify seeking violence to achieve its political goals.

Thankfully, it’s just not working.

###

* Hussein Abdallah is a journalist and a media analyst. This article is part of a series on the consequences of terrorism written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 19 April 2011, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

Join MPAC Today for Live Webinar on Young Leaders Summits Featuring Special Message from Rep. Carson

JOIN MPAC TODAY FOR A LIVE WEBINAR
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
OUR YOUNG LEADERS SUMMITS

(Washington, DC - 4/19/11) -- The Muslim Public Affairs Council is hosting an informational webinar for its upcoming Young Leaders Summits today at 9 p.m. EST. MPAC is calling on all potential applicants and those interested in the summits to attend and get the opportunity to hear from Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) about the value of the Young Leaders Summits and civic engagement in government, media and Hollywood.

During the informational webcast, MPAC's Young Leaders Program Coordinator Yasmin Hussein will also share an in-depth look at what you can expect during the Summits, how to apply and how you can get involved with MPAC's Young Leaders Program after the Summits.

To RSVP for the webinar, please email summits@mpac.org and the link to the webcast will be provided to you.

Media Summit in New York City (June 15 - 18) -- Learn about the ins and outs of the news industry while experiencing the fast pace of life in the Big Apple.

Hollywood Summit in Los Angeles (June 26 - 29) -- Explore the role film, TV and the arts play in shaping public opinion and provide practical tips for transforming talent into a successful career.

Policy Summit in Washington, DC (July 25 - 30) -- Get an insider look at the inner workings of the nation's capitol while simultaneously providing government officials and congressional leaders the opportunity to learn what is on the minds of young Muslim Americans.

MPAC's Young Leaders Summits will expand three-fold this summer, offering Muslim American college and graduate students around the country with a unique and transformative opportunity to make their mark on Capitol Hill, in the entertainment industry and the news media.

In the words of 2010 Summit alum Jalal Ansari, currently a college freshman in New York City:

"This experience cannot be described in words. It has to be experienced, and I believe every Muslim youth who can, should. Although it is difficult for one person to change a system, collectively I learned this week that there is nothing we can't do."

Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of Muslim Americans.

[CONTACT: Marium Mohiuddin, 323-258-6722, marium@mpac.org]