February 15, 2012

Last weekend, MPAC co-hosted the Salam Hospitality Suite at the California Democratic Convention held in San Diego, where elected officials and candidates, including those running for congressional seats, state controller and the state assembly, networked and addressed the crowd gathered. The hospitality suite was co-hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations PAC, Arab American Caucus, American Muslim Alliance - CA, American Muslims and Friends Democratic Club and United Muslims of America.

The suite took place among thousands of Californians who gathered to choose party endorsements for State Assembly, State Senate and Congressional candidates, as well as adopting the party's platform.

Aziza Hasan, MPAC’s Director of Southern California Government Relations, addressed the attendees and welcomed them to the suite by quoting former First Lady Elanor Roosevelt, who said “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

Hasan cautioned against the dangers of the recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the indefinite detention without the right to due process of American citizens charged with terrorism. She then went on to talk about the Due Process Guarantee Act, which aims at countering the dangerous measures of the NDAA by mandating that all citizens have the right to due process.

“It is important for all of us to work together during these dark times,” she said. “It is paramount to our success as a nation to safeguard rights granted by the U.S. Constitution, now undermined by NDAA.”

There is much work to be done beyond the Due Process Guarantee Act, because the act only protects Americans on U.S. soil. Anyone who travels outside the U.S. would still be subject to indefinite detention by the military.

To help MPAC organize future events and have a continuing presence at upcoming political conventions, please contact Hasan at aziza@mapc.org.

-- Marium F. Mohiuddin|
(marium@mpac.org)
Communications Coordinator