By Munir K. Nasser
Washington, DC
The US Senate passed unanimously last Thursday a resolution recognizing the significant contributions of more than 6 million American Muslims and upholding their rights against discrimination and scapegoating.
The resolution reads in part: "Whereas American Muslims have regrettably been portrayed in a negative light in some discussions of policy issues such as issues relating to religious persecution abroad or fighting terrorism in the United States, the Senate resolves to uphold a level of political discourse that does not involve making a scapegoat of an entire religion or drawing political conclusions on the basis of religious doctrine."
Following passage, the resolution's chief sponsor Senator Spencer Abraham, An Arab American Republican from Michigan, noted, "I am very pleased that my colleagues joined me unanimously in acknowledging that we need to have a more tolerant discourse toward Islam, one of the three great monotheistic faiths."
Joseph Lieberman, A Jewish American Democratic Senator from Connecticut, argued that it was "indeed the obligation for our nation to show greater tolerance towards Americans of Muslim faith," and noted that it was time to guarantee "the promise of our nation's ideals" to Muslims.
James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute, who worked closely with Senator Abraham to help pass this resolution, commended the Senate for its decision.
"Since our nation's founding, American Muslims have made great contributions to this country,” Zogby said. “We are proud to have played a role in ensuring that Congress acknowledges that. With the Senate's passage of this historic resolution, without any changes, they have taken the lead in ending the hurtful stereotyping and scapegoating of Islam and American Muslims. We can only hope that the House Judiciary Committee will soon join them," Zogby said
Zogby argued that although the Senate has seen fit to pass this significant resolution intact, the House Judiciary Committee refused to release a companion version of this resolution in November 1999. The Judiciary Committee demanded significant changes in the resolution's language, changes that would have rendered the measure meaningless. Some members of the House Judiciary Committee also objected to the resolution's assertion that there was a rush to judgment based on stereotypes of American Muslims and Islam in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing. The resolution remains stalled in the Judiciary Committee – Albawaba.com.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
