September 9, 2003

Today in a national press conference the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) issued its second comprehensive U.S. Counterterrorism policy paper which reviews the Federal Government's policy and practices dealing with counterterrorism.

The report identifies significant policy failures as well as pinpointing constructive actions that need to be taken to strengthen our government's capacity to ensure our private freedoms and public safety.

"Our review of the government's response to the September 11, 2001 tragedy found many weaknesses in its approach and execution. We sought to contribute meaningfully by analyzing the situation, and put forth realistic, constructive recommendations for combating terrorism domestically and abroad," stated Salam Al-Marayati, Executive Director of MPAC.

"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 policymaking community."

General Brent Scowcroft, former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to Presidents Ford and Bush. He also served as Military Assistant to President Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to Presidents Ford and Nixon.

"This study represents a serious, balanced and thoughtful look at the dilemmas faced by the U.S. in defining and conducting a war against terrorism in the Muslim world. It offers a serious critique of pitfalls and mistakes made so far. As the product of a leading Muslim American organization, this paper is well positioned to understand not only the complexities of Washington policy-making, but also the realities of politics and society in the Muslim world that must be recognized and taken fully into consideration before any war against terrorism can be ultimately successful," stated Graham Fuller former vice-chair of the National Intelligence Council at the Central Intelligence Agency and senior political scientist at RAND.

The report recommends that:

* Law enforcement, including the FBI, develops its community based policing methods. The paper provides specific tips to law enforcement at the state and national levels.

* The Federal government needs to involve Muslims in counterterrorism matters. Currently, there are no Muslims working on counterterrorism matters in the Departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, State or Treasury.

* Terrorist designations by the U.S. Government should be made subject to judicial review before a permanent blocking order is rendered. Individuals and entities labeled by the President as "specially designated nationals" and "specially designated global terrorists" have no legal means for challenging those classifications.

* The U.S. should utilize foreign aid to promote economic reform, democratic development, and human rights in countries most affected by international terrorism.

* Acts of terrorism should be consistently condemned and actions taken against perpetrators of acts of terrorism whether by state or non-state actors.

* Congress needs to conduct oversight hearings on the White House's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism.

* The Department of Treasury must establish an accreditation agency whose job it is to certify that U.S. charities are in compliance with the guidelines. This will put an end to the unwarranted seizing of funds that occurred unnecessarily to numerous Muslim charities.

Copies of the current report and digital photographs of the press conference are available by request.

MPAC is a progressive American Muslim organization dedicated to promoting an accurate portrayal of American Muslim values and views on national and state policy issues. For more information about MPAC visit http://archive.mpac.org