U.S. Senate Recognizes Contributions by Immigrants
Civil Liberties Digest
News Digest, NCM, Compiled and Edited by Sandip Roy, Posted: May 29, 2003
U.S. Senate Recognizes Contributions by Immigrants
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution last week recognizing the important role played in American society by immigrant communities some of whom have been under intense scrutiny by federal agencies since the 9/11 attacks. Civil liberties groups applauded the vote but urged the government to do more to prevent attacks on these communities.
Senate Resolution 133 acknowledges the contributions of Americans of Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian backgrounds and urges respect for civil rights and civil liberties. It also condemns bias-motivated crimes against members of these communities, and calls upon federal and local law enforcement to prosecute such crimes vigorously.
"This goes a long way in sending the necessary message to the American people that Arab Americans, American Muslims, Sikh Americans, and South-Asian Americans should not be viewed with suspicion or subject to heightened government scrutiny because of their national origin or religion," stated Dr. Ziad Asali, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
But others warned that the resolution's impact will depend on sustained federal and social commitment to its message. In a press statement following the Senate vote, the D.C.-based Human Rights Watch commented, "Ultimately, prevention of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim violence will require a societal commitment to tolerance and recognition that "guilt by association" has no place in a democracy based on the rule of law."
Arab Israeli Wins Human Rights Award
A Palestinian Israeli who advocates non violent resistance flew into the San Francisco to receive the Global Exchange Human Rights Award. Dr. Azmi Bishara was flown directly from Palestine to receive the award.
During the ceremony, a video clip showed how he stood up to criminal charges that would have stripped him of his Parliament seat in Israel. He was accused of assisting Palestinians living within the green line to visit relatives in Syria. However, he was recently cleared of all charges by the Supreme Court of Israel. Dr. Bishara continues to use Gandhi's tactics of nonviolent resistance, demanding that all citizens living in Israel and Palestinians everywhere be given full rights.
Bishara usually surprises Arab audience because he is not only unashamed of his citizenship but also ran for the presidency in Israel in 1999. He says that he wanted to show both the Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel that equality means that all citizens are entitled to the same rights.
PATRIOT ACT Architect Leaves Office But For How Long?
Viet Dinh, 35, the highest-ranking Vietnamese American government official in the US, is resigning as of May 31st, 2003. It is front-page news for Vietnamese newspapers in the US as the assistant attorney general has been the community's pride and joy. He is the main drafter of the PATRIOT ACT USA, which has won him a lot of national exposure. Though he is officially resigning in order to teach law again, the Vietnamese press thinks Dinh might be back in government.
According to Tin Viet News, there are unconfirmed reports that Dinh is resigning in order to campaign more effectively for the reelection on the of President Bush, positioning him for higher positions in the White House should Bush win a second term.
Victims of Immigration Scam Saved from Deportation
The US government cannot summarily deport victims of an immigration scam, ruled a Federal District Court Judge in Michigan last week. In his ruling, US District Court Judge Avern Cohn protected the immigrants from expedited removal from the United States but did not grant them immediate release from detention.
At least 130 immigrants of Arab descent were detained by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April when the local US Attorney's Office announced the dismantling of a three-year visa scam enterprise involving an INS officer. Although some of the immigrants have since been released, many have been denied bond and four were summarily deported.
Following legal action by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in April, the US District Court issued a temporary restraining order on the deportations. "This is a ground-breaking case," commented lead attorney Nabih Ayad. "Its impact is huge when you consider that millions of people get these advance parole documents every year. Now this judge has ruled that the Justice Department cannot simply take these people after their documents have expired and subject them to expedited removal without a court hearing, or without an attorney."
Leadership by Turban
After 9/11 someone told Ravi Singh, an Indian American Sikh and golfer to take off his turban. Singh, who is the first US cadet to ever graduate from a military academy with a turban, decided to write an e-book instead, reports Indian Express.
"Leadership by Turban," says Singh is "a true American story about a young man seeking to balance his religious identity in today's America." He says he decided to use the e-book format because it's the easiest and most cost-effective way of getting the book out. He also hopes that being able to use color, graphics and technology will reach a lot more youth.
Singh had been writing the book for a while, but he says the killing of Dalbir Singh, a Sikh, soon after 9/11 was the real catalyst.
Jalal Ghazi, Elizabeth Price and Andrew Lam contributed to this report.
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