Capitol Hill
Go to the DC/Capitol Hill Department Page
The Washington D.C. office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council aims to establish a reputation for partnership with public officials and their staff to offer intelligent and nuanced analysis of domestic and foreign policy issues that affect American Muslims. MPAC sits on a federal interagency council hosted by the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. MPAC believes that the investment of resources to dispelling myths about Islam and Muslims is most needed for those who serve our country in government.
In September 2003, MPAC published its second Counterterrorism policy paper entitled A Review of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy: American Muslim Critique & Recommendations. General Brent Scowcroft, former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, said, "The Muslim Public Affairs Council's Counterterrorism Policy Paper is a serious and thoughtful document that should be valuable to all policy-makers. Counterterrorism analysis from an American Muslim perspective is critical to the decision-making process. I found the paper to be serious and in-depth, and the recommendations should be reviewed by the policy-making community."
Media
Go to the Press/Media Department Page
MPAC works to build relationships with national news media through briefings with reporters and meetings with editors. These relationships grow everyday and are used to maximize the message that American Muslims take a proactive role in public policy and have succeeded in providing a positive impact on varying issues. MPAC's work is regularly featured in national broadcast and print media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, CNN, MSNBC, and ABC World News Tonight.
Over the past 13 years, MPAC has honored important members of the media, journalists, filmmakers and writers who portray Islam and Muslim positively and objectively through their professional work. Past recipients of the MPAC Media Award include Warner Independent Pictures and Director Hany Abu-Assad for "Paradise Now", Warner Brothers for "Syriana", South Asian musician and UN Goodwill ambassador Salman Ahmad, actor and activist Alec Baldwin, filmmaker and author Michael Moore, singer and humanitarian Yusuf Islam and the producers of VH1's Behind the Music, director Spike Lee, author Karen Armstrong, the producers of "Three Kings," actor Morgan Freeman, and the producers of "7th Heaven."
Community Outreach
As part of our ongoing efforts to protect the civil liberties of American Muslims, MPAC holds regular townhall meetings and training sessions across the country. In such forums, MPAC leaders train activists in interacting with the media, public speaking, defending Islam against attacks, and engaging with government officials and law enforcement. MPAC believes that empowering the community means equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to be effective representatives of Islam and American Muslims. MPAC has responded to the erosion of civil liberties with focused campaigns intended to empower and protect American Muslims. When federal law enforcement raided American Muslim homes, charities and businesses, MPAC organized townhall meetings to educate the community and inform them of their rights as citizens, and met with law enforcement and government officials to call for a full investigation into misconduct on the part of law enforcement while conducting these raids.
MPAC's National Grassroots Campaign to Fight Terrorism has garnered the endorsement and participation of over 600 mosques and Muslim institutions across the country, including the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). In November 2002, MPAC testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Arlen Specter, on "An Assessment of Tools Needed to Fight the Financing of Terrorism". MPAC has sponsored numerous forums on topics which include America's Image in the Muslim World, Religious Freedom in the Muslim World, Nuclear Disarmament, and the Islamic Stand Against Terrorism.
Hate Crime Prevention
Go to the Hate Crime Prevention Department Page
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, MPAC was inundated with reports of hate crimes/incidents and discrimination, prompting the emergence of a department specializing in victim assistance. Staff and volunteers laid the foundation for a program equipped to assist victims of hate acts, educate the American Muslim community on their rights, and educate the broader American public on American Muslims. By December 2001, MPAC's Hate Crimes Prevention Department was officially established with the generous support of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. As one of six partners of the County's Hate Crime Victim Assistance and Advocacy Initiative (HCVAAI), the Department serves the community by focusing its efforts in victim assistance, advocacy, and hate prevention.
