May 7, 2010

President Obama Speaking in Cairo

On Wednesday, May 12th, the Muslim Public Affairs Council will team up with the Charity and Security Network  to hold a panel discussion examining "Commitment to Charitable Giving: One Year After Obama's Cairo Speech" in Washington, DC. A panel of experts will explore the steps taken by the administration since President Obama's "A New Beginning" speech last spring in Cairo, Egypt on the adverse impact of broad security rules on U.S. charities, humanitarian aid groups, grantmakers and donors.   

Since last June, promises have been made and expectations have grown on how the relationship between the West and Muslim-majority countries can progress for the better.  Part of that progress is the role that civil society and its members play in the daily life of those at home and abroad in working together to provide a sustainable environment for people in need. 

WHAT:  Commitment to Charitable Giving: One Year After Obama's Cairo Speech

WHEN:  Wednesday, May 12th at 12:00 p.m.

WHEN:  United Methodist Building, Washington, DC

WHO:  Sahar Aziza, Law Office of Sahar Aziz
           Marcus Owens, Caplin & Drysdale
           Stephen Vladeck, American University Washington College of Law
           Ellen D. Willmott, Save the Children USA

RSVP: Email Suraj K. Sazawal at ssazawal@charityandsecurity.org or call (202) 729-6790

The role of civil society in its many forms and causes is essential for the progression of individuals and communities worldwide.  Thus it cannot afford restrictions placed on the type or quantity of services to the many people in need based on ethnic, religious, or cultural origin.

About the Panelists:

Sahar Aziz, Law Office of Sahar Aziz
Civil rights attorney working with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and Muslim Legal Fund of America and teaches National Security law and policy at the Georgetown University Law Center. Served as a senior policy advisor with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Marcus S. Owens, Caplin & Drysdale
Attorney and expert on tax-exempt organizations. He is the former Director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the Internal Revenue Service and was selected by the NonProfit Times as one of the top 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector in 1998, 1999, and 2001.

Stephen I. Vladeck, American University Washington College of Law
A nationally recognized expert on the role of the federal courts in the war on terrorism. His teaching and research focus on federal jurisdiction, national security law, constitutional law and international criminal law. He is a senior editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of National Security Law and Policy.

Ellen D. Willmott, Save the Children USA
As Deputy General Counsel she has represented Save the Children at the U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of State, Department of Treasury/Office of Foreign Asset Control, and congressional staff in connection with counter-terrorism regulations and other regulatory and policy matters.

The Charity and Security Network was created in 2008 as a coalition of charities, grantmakers, faith-based and advocacy groups to work toward eliminating unnecessary and counterproductive barriers to legitimate charitable work found in current counterterrorism measures.