FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ISNA Commends President Obama for Demanding Enhanced Security Grounded in America’s Constitutional Tradition
(Plainfield, IN – January 8, 2010) The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) welcomes President Obama’s announcement of steps to be taken to strengthen US defenses against terrorism. It is quite evident that al-Qaeda is bent on harming the American homeland and American civilians, and we believe no effort should be spared in confronting violent extremism and defeating their organizations and operatives.
The president’s acknowledgement of the systemic failure that allowed a violent extremist who planned to harm civilians to get on a plane brings a renewed hope that serious work will be done to fix the flaws in the system and make it more effective.
We believe that the review should not only focus on better communication among the various government agencies, but should also reexamine criteria used to add names to the watch and no-fly lists. The federal government must ensure that people are not added on the watch list because of religious affiliation, ethnicity, national origin, or political views, but on the basis of their support for and involvement in violent activities against the United States.
We commend the president for rejecting calls to overlook constitutional protections of civil liberties in the name of fighting violent extremism. America has long been admired for its commitment to civil liberties and human rights. We must not abandon a tradition that has defined America’s character and gives it a unique place in the world.
We believe that it is vitally important, both strategically and morally, that government agencies continue to view the Muslim American community and its national organizations as an asset in the efforts to undermine violent extremism at home and abroad. The president’s statement is a step in the right direction. Muslim Americans look forward to more steps to come to develop political discourse and fair and effective policy measures.
ISNA calls on the president to continue his important work he outlined in his Ankara and Cairo speeches to improve relationship with Muslim countries and to pursue a foreign policy that is more sensitive to the human rights of Muslim peoples and to their genuine grievances.
Contact:
Louay Safi, Director
ISNA Communications and Leadership Development,
louay@isna.net(317) 838-8130
Subject: ISNA Commends President Obama 
Sat Jan 09, 2010 4:36 am
