In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
AMC Update
December 22, 1999
Secretary Albright Hosts First Ramadan Iftar with American Muslims
(Washington, DC, December 22) - About sixty American Muslim leaders attended
the first iftar (Ramadan fast-breaking) at the State Department yesterday
evening hosted by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Secretary Albright told the gathering that it invited members of the
American Muslim community because "U.S. foreign policy is conducted in your
name. And like other citizens, you may not agree with everything we do, but
you should at least feel a connection to it, and know that your views are
being heard."
She spoke on the need for international tolerance across religious and
cultural lines, and noted that the Russian strategy in Chechnya is
"fundamentally misguided" because "killing the innocent does not defeat
terror; it feeds terror." She also addressed stereotyping Muslims have
faced in America, and encouraged community leaders to help recruit American
Muslims to the U.S. Foreign Service.
The iftar dinner continued a tradition established several years ago by the
American Muslim Council. AMC co-hosted the first iftar events on Capitol
Hill (1996) and at the Pentagon (1998). In 1996, AMC initiated the first
Eid-al-Fitr holiday celebration at the White House with First Lady Hillary
Clinton. Since last year, AMC had encouraged the State Department to host a
Ramadan iftar with American Muslims.
AMC executive director Aly R. Abuzaakouk, during the dinner, spoke with
Secretary Albright on Muslim concerns regarding sanctions in Iraq, the
assault on Chechnya, Kashmir, and the underrepresentation of Muslims in the
State Department.
Mr. Abuzaakouk said, "The dinner was an opportunity to bring to light the
foreign policy concerns of American Muslims, whether it's Chechnya or
sanctions on Iraq. It's a civil and moral obligation for American Muslims
to engage our government. And it's an obligation of our government to
respond to the concerns of all Americans. This dialogue is critical."
The dinner was attended by leaders of Muslim organizations, the imams and
leaders of Washington metropolitan area mosques, and Muslim staff working in
Congress and the State Department. Harold H. Koh, Assistant Secretary of
State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Skip Gnehm, head of the U.S.
Foreign Service; and Robert Seiple, Ambassador-at-Large for Religious
Freedom, also participated in the dinner.
**AMC NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT. OUR EFFORTS DEPEND ON YOU. MAKE YOUR DONATION
TODAY.
**CONTRIBUTE TO AMC EVERY TIME YOU SPEND. APPLY FOR YOUR MEF PLATINUM VISA
CARD AT www.amconline.org
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
THE AMERICAN MUSLIM COUNCIL
1212 NEW YORK AVENUE, NW, SUITE 400
WASHINGTON, DC 20005
PHONE : (202) 789-2262
FAX : (202) 789-2550
E-MAIL : [log in to unmask] >>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|