September 22, 2017

Quotes & Mentions

George Takei: Political resistance is a “silver lining in a very ominous dark cloud” (Salon)

MPAC mentioned: If you follow the news. you see all the demonstrations and marches. I've been working with Muslim Public Affairs Council, and I've been going to their fundraisers. They get a thousand people on to those fundraisers. There's dancing. But that's a very strong, forceful speechifying as well. People are there working in concert and expressing their opposition to what's happening. America is different today than 75 years ago. It is a dramatic difference. People are rushing to the airports when the president signs an executive order and echoing the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans. We have progressed. I'm an optimist. Yes. We have people like Donald Trump, and we have people like the neo-Nazis and the KKK. But they are the small minority. We are making progress. We see it in those demonstrations; we hear it in their chanting in front of the White House. It is a different America.

Muslim groups ask Supreme Court to block Trump travel ban (Talk Media News)

MPAC mentioned: The brief came from the California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (both based in Washington) and the Boston-based Muslim Justice League.

We Can’t Fight Trump-Style Hate with the Surveillance State (In These Times)

MPAC mentioned: When the Trump Administration took power, it froze all CVE funding for six months, then decided to prioritize programs that feature strong collaborations with law enforcement. Life After Hate’s proposal and 11 other Obama-approved grants were denied. Cuts included the University of North Carolina’s proposal to produce anti-jihadist videos ($867,000) and funding for the Muslim Public Affairs Council Foundation ($393,800).

Interfaith coalition says ‘no principled basis’ for travel ban (Baptist Standard)

MPAC mentioned: The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty signed the amicus brief filed Sept. 5, along with other groups including the National Council of Churches, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Sikh Coalition and Catholic, Jewish and Muslim leaders.

11 Lackawanna firefighters receive heroism awards for rescues during arson (The Buffalo News)

Khalid Qazi, board member, mentioned: Also attending the ceremony were Fire Commissioner Ralph Galanti, Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski, Anwar Al-Kalai, the president of the Lackawanna Islamic Mosque, and Khalid Qazi of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of WNY.