U.S. Commission On Civil Rights Announces Nov. 9th Briefing: Federal Civil Rights Engagement with the Arab and Muslim American Communities Post 9/11

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Commission on Civil Rights announces that it will hold a public briefing on November 9, 2012 starting at 9:30am ET on the topic of "Federal Civil Rights Engagement with the Arab and Muslim American Communities Post 9/11." The briefing will take place at Commission headquarters, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425. Interested members from the public are invited to attend.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, federal government enforcement components made proactive engagement with the Arab and Muslim-American community a new, distinct, national civil rights priority.  At the same time, the sustained national security emergency that began on September 11th prompted new anti-terrorism programs with resources and attention from federal agencies which saw in religious, national, and ethnic communities the seeds of a national security challenge—especially within the Arab and Muslim American community.  Some of these programs have created real concerns for their civil rights impacts on these American communities. Evaluating the success and failure of the federal government in engaging the Arab and Muslim American community post 9/11 is significant in terms of redressing the very real discrimination faced by that community, but may be also instructive of how the federal government should respond in national crises or similar future events.

This briefing will consist of experts from civil rights organizations, academic institutions, and the federal government who will assess the government's outreach to Arab and Muslim American communities over a decade after the 9/11 tragedy.

Those invited to testify before the Commission include scholars and representatives from the Arab American Institute, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the American Islamic Congress, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Brandeis University, Boston College, UCLA School of Law, Texas Wesleyan School of Law, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Deaf or hearing-impaired persons who will attend the meeting and require the services of a sign language interpreter should contact Pam Dunston at (202) 376-8105 at least seven business days prior to the briefing.

Contact:
Lenore Ostrowsky
Acting Chief, Public Affairs Unit
202-376-8591

SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights