Elections 2000:
American Muslim PAC Endorses George W. Bush for President
American Muslim PAC Endorses George W. Bush for President
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct 23, 2000 - The American Muslim Political Coordinating Council Political Action Committee (AMPCC-PAC) today announced its endorsement of George W. Bush for president, citing his outreach to the Muslim community and his stand on the issue of secret evidence.
(AMPCC-PAC is an affiliated PAC of the American Muslim Political Coordinating Council. AMPCC members include American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Muslim Public Affairs Council.)
The endorsement was announced by chair of AMPCC-PAC, Dr. Agha Saeed.
"Governor Bush took the initiative to meet with local and national representatives of the Muslim community. He also promised to address Muslim concerns on domestic and foreign policy issues," said AMPCC-PAC head Agha Saeed.
The press conference was also addressed by:
Dr. Yahya Basha and Mr. Aly Abouzakuk of AMC,
Mr. Omar Ahmad, Mr. Nihad Awad, Mr. Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR,
Mr. Salam Al-Maryati of MPAC, and
Mr. Eric Vickers of AMA.
Dr. Yahya Basha and Mr. Aly Abouzakuk of AMC,
Mr. Omar Ahmad, Mr. Nihad Awad, Mr. Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR,
Mr. Salam Al-Maryati of MPAC, and
Mr. Eric Vickers of AMA.
Representatives of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) attended the press conference as observers.
AMPCC made this critical decision after polling constituents and studying candidates' records on issues of concern to American Muslims.
"We have based our decision on a 3-point criteria", explained Dr. Agha Saeed: "1) Record, 2) community feedback, and 3) accessibility. It is on the basis of this criteria that we have endorsed Gov. Bush".
There are an estimated six million Muslims in the United States. Muslims constitute a potential swing-voting bloc in states such as California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. In several surveys of Muslim voters, the majority said they would vote for Bush.
The Muslim leaders also noted that Bush challenged the use of "secret evidence" at the second presidential debate. American Muslims and civil libertarians believe secret evidence, as it is currently used in Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) deportation hearings, is unconstitutional. They believe that it is used disproportionately against Muslims in America.
A number of Muslim detainees have been held for up to four years based on evidence that is not revealed to them or their attorneys. The Secret Evidence Repeal Act currently awaits passage in the House and Senate.
"In the nineties", observed Dr. Agha Saeed, "the Muslim civil rights were significantly curtailed due to Executive Order of 1994, Secret Evidence clause of the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1995, and ADC v. Janet Reno decision of the US Supreme Court of April 1999. Our collective efforts are aimed at rectifying these setbacks. It is extremely important for Muslims to vote for a civil agenda this year."
Source: American Muslim Alliance
Elections 2000
____________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
.
__,_._,___
