MPAC Facilitates Interfaith
Meeting with Senator Boxer on Muslim Inclusion
Los
Angeles, CA: Three prominent religious leaders from Southern
California, who met with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) during
the crisis in Lebanon last summer called on her January
16 to work toward inclusion of Muslim America constituents.
Reverend George Regas, Rabbi Leonard Beerman and Dr. Maher
Hathout reached out to Senator Boxer in response to her
recent decision to rescind an award which was to be given
to Bassim Elkarra, Executive Director of the CAIR-Sacramento
office.
"We are calling you because we met with you and we
experienced first hand that you are open and inclusive and
seek to forge a better society," Hathout told Boxer.
"There is a general environment that Muslims perceive
that they are being marginalized and viewed in an unhealthy
light. What we need is to deal with the conditions and events
that make this community feel marginalized."
Boxer assured the leaders that her office is in ongoing
communication with CAIR-CA representatives and that she
remains committed to working with broad and diverse interfaith
constituencies to promote civil rights, combat global warming
and end the war in Iraq. She hoped to continue to engage
with faith-based communities on relevant issues pertaining
to domestic and international issues.
Last month, MPAC sent a letter to Congresswoman Boxer, which
read in part:
"The rise of Islamophobia is a deep concern to our
community, especially as high profile figures have demonstrated
their hateful attitudes towards the Muslim community, most
recently exemplified by Congressman Virgil Goode's vicious
letter to his constituents following the election of Keith
Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim to be elected in the US
Congress....
"As shocking remarks of this strain make their way
to the general public against the backdrop of Islamophobia,
many American Muslims are concerned with the way decisions
are made by our public officials and precisely what informs
those decisions. We believe that accurate communication
is vital for a healthy relationship between the American
Muslim community in California and your office, so we turn
to you for help..."
Founded in 1988, MPAC is a public service agency working
for the civil rights of American Muslims, for the integration
of Islam into American pluralism, and for a positive, constructive
relationship between American Muslims and their representatives.
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