VOLUME No: 62 Issue No:1

Washington, D.C. - June 4, 2004

Islamic Free Market Institute Attends the Faith-Based Initiative Conference Aids Groups to Compete for Federal Dollars

The White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives was held in Washington, D.C. on June 1, drawing over 2000 representatives from faith-based organizations from across the country including the Islamic Free Market Institute Foudation.

Representatives from many Federal agencies also attended and hosted booths to distribute information, including the Departments of Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education and the Agency for International Development. These agencies have been charged with ensuring that local faith-based and community groups have a fair chance to compete for Federal dollars without facing funding restrictions and bureaucratic barriers.

President Bush gave the keynotespeech outlining the concept of the Faith-Based Initiative, and how progress has been made to endthe discrimination against faith-based groups by the Government in the past.

President Bush stated, "I believe in the power of faith in people's lives. Our government should not fear programs that exist because a church or synagogue or a mosque has decided to start one. We should not discriminate against programs based upon faith in America. We should enable them to access Federal Money because faith based programs can change people's lives, and America will be better off for it."

The conference’s purpose was to aid and support organizations in implementing of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative at the State and local level. Session topics included, Technical Assistance, Marketing 101, Volunteerism, Partnerships and Collaborations, Foundations and Corporate Support, At-Risk Youth, Community Development and Homeownership, Homelessness and Hunger, and Substance Abuse.

Muslim organizations, as well as all faith based organizations, were encouraged to explore ways to participate in the Faith-Based InitiativeFor more information about The White House Faith-Based and Community Initiative visit www.fbci.gov or call 202-456-6708.

Herseth Defeats Diedrich, Good News for Daschle

Democratic candidate Stephanie Herseth defeated Republican candidate Larry Diedrich in a special election held in South Dakota on Tuesday. The special election was a result of the resignation of former Congressman Bill Janklow (R) in January following an automobile accident that killed one person. Janklow, a five-term governor and first term congressman, was charged with manslaughter and released after serving 100 days.

The House of Representatives now stands at 228 Republicans to 206 Democrats. Democratic leaders hope Herseth’s election will help the campaign of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D) when he faces off against former Representative John Thune this Fall. Herseth, a graduate of Georgetown Law and daughter of former Governor Ralph Herseth, will replace Mike Thompson on the House Agricultural Committee.

Federal Judge Ruled Against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton of San Francisco ruled against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Judge Hamilton ruled that the ban, signed by President Bush in 2003, creates an "undue burden on a woman's right to choose an abortion." Judge Hamilton expressed that such a ban endangers other legal forms of abortion. This is the first time that a Federal judge has ruled on the Constitutional implications of the ban.

Partial birth abortion is medically known as “intact dilation and extraction.” This procedure requires partially delivering a fetus, generally during the second trimester. It is unknown whether or not the fetus can live outside the mother’s body at the time of the abortion. It is uncertain how many abortions are completed this way every year, but it is almost certainly a small percentage.

Doctors that provide abortions using this technique argue that it is occasionally necessary in order to save the life of the mother. It is sometimes the safest method, and supporters feel that a woman’s health is more significant than the process of abortion. On the other hand, many say that it ends the life of a human being, which has been allowed to partially leave its mother’s body. Doctors in San Francisco, which were called by the Justice Department to testify, expressed that this particular abortion procedure causes pain to the fetus and is never necessary.