Islamic Institute's Chairman Participates in a Homeland Security Panel

On Thursday, July 1, the Islamic Institute's Chairman, Khaled Saffuri, participated in a round table discussion of issues concerning homeland security and civil liberties. The discussion was organized by the Heritage Foundation and had participants from a wide range of disciplines and fields of expertise in discussing issues concerning homeland security. Debate at the meeting focused on how the United States can better defend its citizens against terrorism while still maintaining their civil liberties. Chairman Saffuri was asked to give a presentation on the subject of discussion from the American Muslim perspective, particularly on the issue of racial profiling.

Education Reforms Gaining Momentum

On Wednesday, the House passed the Ready to Teach Act with a vote of 404-17. The act requires colleges of education receiving federal grants to measure the success of graduates by testing their ability to attain gains in student achievement. The requirement is intended to bring teacher colleges in compliance with requirements of President Bush's No Child Left Behind school reform program; this
would require a "highly qualified" teacher in every public school classroom by 2006, lawmakers said during House debate.

In addition to this, another bill was passed with a vote of 417-7 which would forgive $17,500 of student loans for college students who become teachers in high-need areas. This more than triples the current loan forgiveness of $5,000 over five years. Representative Joe Wilson claimed, "This bill will help to recruit teachers who want to teach in poverty-stricken areas"

Employment Rates Show Unanticipated Drop

More American workers signed up for unemployment benefits last week, providing new evidence that businesses are keeping work forces small and compact, playing it safe until the economy shows healthier signs of progress.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that for the work week ending July 5, new claims filed for unemployment insurance rose by a seasonally adjusted 5,000 to 439,000, the highest level since the week ending May 31. The increase surprised economists who were anticipating a decline in jobless claims. The number of out-of-work Americans continuing to extract jobless benefits rose by 87,000 to 3.8 million for the work week ending June 28, the most recent period for which that information is available. This represents the highest level since Feb. 26, 1983, and suggests to many that not a lot of
hiring is taking place.

Initiative to Fight Child Exploitation

On Wednesday, the "Operation Predator," a law enforcement initiative aims at protecting children from pornographers, child prostitution rings, Internet predators and human traffickers, was announced by the Department of Homeland Security

"Operation Predator" is a program that will be coordinated through the department's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will use the Internet to better identify child predators, prosecute them and force them out of the country if they are foreigners subject to deportation. In addition, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will also join to assist in exchanging information on missing children, as well as investigative intelligence leads.

Michael J. Garcia, head of ICE, said that "there is nothing more important than protecting our children - the future of our nation." "Through Operation Predator, ICE is in a unique position to carry out this critical responsibility," he added. According to Garcia, continuing ICE investigations of people suspected of child sex offenses have resulted in 88 arrests, 56 indictments, 77 convictions and 134 seizures since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.