National Forum On American Muslim Issues 2004

On Saturday, May 8, 2004 , the Islamic Free Market Institute Foundation (IFMIF) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) hosted the “National Forum on American Muslim Issues 2004 ” at the ADAMS Center in Herndon , Virginia .

Attendees were able to interact with various speakers and panels on a number of emerging and long-standing issues facing the Muslim community and policy makers.

Speakers included Daniel Sutherland with the Office of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security, Chip Poncy from the US department of the Treasury, Joe Onek from the Constitution Project, Katherine Newell Bierman, Attorney, Immigrant Rights, National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, Representatives from the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and also representatives from the John Kerry for President campaign.

The program opened with remarks from Khaled Saffuri, IFMIF Chairman and Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC, Executive Director.

Daniel Sutherland then gave a presentation on what the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security is doing to outreach to the Muslim community. He shared some of his personal experiences and also took questions from the audience.

In the first panel, “ A Review of Policies & Practices for Charitable Giving ” Joe Onek from the Constitution Project and Chip Poncy from the Department of Treasury addressed the new policies and practices involved in charitable giving, particularly to Islamic organizations and also discussed at length recent actions taken by the Treasury Department.

In the second panel, “ Legislative Agenda for Liberty & Security” Grover Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform and Katherine Bierman, an Attorney on Immigrant Rights with the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium discussed efforts and initiatives for developing a legislative agenda and accomplishing legislative goals. Ms Bierman also suggested that interested parties and Muslim organizations should partner together with similar types of organizations to work on joint legislative priorities and more forward to accomplish mutual policy goals.

In the third panel, “Open Discussion: Issues of Concern for US Muslims in the 2004 Elections” the speakers solicited comments and questions about real and perceived concerns involved in the upcoming elections and candidates and newly developed policies affecting all Muslims in America.

This successful forum was an excellent opportunity to continue the dialogue on these issues and well as to engage in an open exchange of ideas and goals for the future. Similar forums will be hosted in the future as part of the ongoing efforts of the Islamic Free Market Institute.