September 25, 2019

With hate crimes at houses of worship hitting record levels, we decided earlier this year to join a non-partisan task force advising the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies on how best to protect American Muslim communities and other religious groups against the threat of white supremacist violence. The task force was created because of the rising number of deadly attacks against mosques, synagogues, temples, and churches that have been carried out primarily by white supremacists. The bipartisan task force includes partners such as the Sikh American Legal Defense & Education Fund (SALDEF), the Secure Community Network of the American Jewish community, and the Christian Emergency Network, the Church of Latter Day Saints, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, among many other faith groups.

At the request of DHS, we attended a meeting at the White House on September 24, 2019 and then participated in a public forum regarding the findings of the task force. Our participation is not an endorsement of the Administration’s dangerous rhetoric and policies towards American Muslims and other minority communities.

The event is entitled "Faith-Based Community Safety and Security Symposium." Recently, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Secretary, Kevin McAleenan, spoke at the Brookings Institution, declaring that combatting white supremacist violence is a national security priority. He was hosted by a co-chair of the DHS task force, Ret. General John Allen, who also serves as president of the Brookings Institution. Secretary McAleenan’s acknowledgment of the threat of white supremacist violence was the first by a Cabinet official to offer a strategic plan in countering such violence. We have long been calling for a strategic plan for combating white supremacist violence.

MPAC is a government relations/public policy organization that leverages its access with policy-makers to protect the American Muslim community--that is how we gain the rights for Muslims and to help provide the truth about Islam.