Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Racial Issues: Major Islamic organizations, issue statement opposing FBI and government targeting the Muslim community

Following a meeting in Washington, D.C., the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of major Islamic organizations, issued a statement re-affirming opposition to FBI tactics and government policies targeting the Muslim community.

SEE: U.S. Muslim Coalition Considers Suspending Relations with FBI

Representatives from the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society-Freedom Foundation (MAS-FF), Muslim Student Association-National (MSA-N), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) took part in Saturday's meeting. Other member and observer organizations were briefed by phone.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, all AMT members and observer groups agreed that:

"We reaffirm our commitment to being full partners in the defense, development and prosperity of our homeland, the United States.

"We also reiterate our determination to continue to work for greater unity and mutual cooperation among ourselves and with like-minded fellow Americans. We recognize that we may have different approaches to the varied challenges facing our community and country, yet our resolve to advocate on behalf of our community remains solid.

"We are fully united in asking the Obama administration to address the following issues: 1. Infiltration of mosques and systematic manipulation of Muslim religious affairs, 2. Use of agents provocateurs to trap unsuspecting Muslim youth, 3. Unfair targeting and deliberate vilification of CAIR, a national Muslim civil rights organization, 4. Use of McCarthy-era tactics, most notably dissemination of Islamophobic analysis by federally-funded 'fusion centers' to local law enforcement agencies."

SEE: Some Influential Muslim Groups Question FBI's Actions (LA Times)

SEE ALSO: Muslims Describe FBI Offers to Act as Informants (Detroit News)

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations
Published by Mike Hitchen, Mike Hitchen Consulting
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