March 25, 2016

Yesterday, MPAC President Salam Al-Marayati spoke on a panel with Secretary Hillary Clinton and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to talk about the need for partnership to protect the homeland.

The panel, held at the University of Southern California, brought government and community leaders together to discuss effective approaches confronting the threat of extremism. 

“We cannot win with an us versus them mentality,” Al-Marayati said, “ISIS sees this as war between Islam and the West, and the more you fuel that rhetoric, the more you play into their hands.”

Secretary Clinton lamented the fact that American Muslims are continuously speaking for peace, but are drowned out by those who say more provocative statements that garner more attention.

"I don't think this is a trivial issue, because you hear, as I do all the time people saying, 'Well, why don't American Muslims speak out?' They do. They do. In many different ways. Why aren't they given platforms, then, for their voices to be heard, at least to counteract the more extreme voices that get an audience anytime they desire?"

Click below to watch the roundtable with Secretary Clinton.