Farah Pandith, recently appointed as Special Representative to Muslim Communities at the State Department, discusses her plans for engaging the Islamic world. She said that her plans include facilitating town hall and round-table discussions, and community projects. (0:35)
By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently appointed Farah Pandith as Special Representative to Muslim Communities, a new position within the State Department. Pandith held a news briefing to discuss her role on Wednesday.
Born in India, Pandith grew up in Massachusetts, where she attended Milton Academy, Smith College, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
She has previously held several positions at various government departments, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Security Council, and—most recently—the European bureau of the State Department.
Pandith said that her new role will require her to “leverage my experience in Europe and in other parts of the world to think about how we can have the department work on Muslim engagement in a way that is out of the box, that is innovative, that is dynamic, that works with embassies so that we’re getting to know the next generation of thinkers.”
She declined to answer questions about controversial issues affecting Muslim communities, and said that her role is not to create policy. “What we want to do is build dialogue,” she explained.
She emphasized the nuance and diversity of Islam in the United States and the world, and said that no single engagement tactic would suit every community. “It isn’t just one thing from Washington that’s going to be shoved into everybody’s faces,” she said.
Pandith said she planned to visit multiple areas of the globe over the next few years, and would not deal only with regions where conflicts exist. However, she explained that since she just started her job, she has to “consult with my colleagues at the department to figure out the first few steps.”
By Jonathan Bronstein, Talk Radio News Service
Shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government allowed law enforcement officials to arrest people of “high interest” according to race, religion, or national origin, according to Javaid Iqbal, a Pakistani citizen who was placed in a maximum-security prison in early 2002.
Iqbal claimed that the government’s decision violated his civil rights and he sued former U.S. Attorney General John Aschcroft and Robert Mueller, then-Director of the FBI.
Today, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Kennedy, ruled against Iqbal.
Kennedy wrote that Iqbal’s initial filings did not provide enough information to automatically find Ashcroft and Mueller responsible for the abuses he suffered while being held.
The case will now return to the lower courts, where Iqbal may have a chance to substantiate his claim that he was subjected to harsh conditions on account of his religion and nationality, and that Ashcroft and Mueller were the “principle architects” of this plan.
Four Justices dissented, and in an opinion written by Justice Souter agreed with the lower courts’ findings that Ashcroft and Mueller did violate his civil rights and could therefore be held responsible.
By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright says that most Americans are “woefully ignorant” of the Muslim world, and that the press holds a certain responsibility to educate people about their culture.
By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service
Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and former Represenative Vin Weber (R-Minn) spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations conerning American relations with the Muslim world. Secretary Albright said that Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world, but that Afghanistan and Pakistan are closely tied in their turmoil. She continued that most Americans are “woefully ignorant” of the Muslim world, and that America’s approach should not be one of ‘tolerance’, but rather one of ‘respect’. Concurrent to that line of thought is the notion that the United States should be prepared to deal with Islamist democratic elections where the results are not favorable to American policy. Albright said people all over the world are ready for democracy, but that the United States should take the position of supporting popular democratic movements, not “imposing democracy”. Weber echoed that sentiment, but insisted that the U.S. could help build the “preconditions for democracy”, such as improving women’s rights or encouraging an open media.
Regarding America’s approach to fighting terrorism, Albright said that the U.S. must not fight terror in a way which creates new terrorists, and that every civilian death makes both the United States and our causes suffer. Regarding the policies of ‘targeted killings’ and assassinations, Weber highlighted that both the Bush and Obama administrations said that they would not ignore ‘actionable intelligence’ on the locations of terrorists. Albright also stated that it is important for America to distinguish those who were civilians and those who were “murders”.
Standing outside the hall where the first presidential debate will take place, Taylor Brown explains why he has decided to support John McCain for president. His brother interrupts, clarifying that Barack Obama is “gonna let the Muslims in and just blow up everything.”
“Bang bang, you know?” (1:01)
Zeyno Baran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says that we must not confuse religious Islam and politcal Islamism. She says that all Islamist terrorists start with non-violent Islamism. (1:12)
Peter Mandaville, associate professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University, says that violent Islamism is part of a global community. The United States must understand what draws people in and pushes them to extremist action in order to effectively combat extremism. Mandaville urges the U.S. to work with Islamists on the fringes. (0:32)
Maajid Nawaz, director of the Quilliam Foundation, speaks about the four main beliefs that connect Islamists. He says that the state will save the global community from capitalism or communism and connect the people. The principles are fundamental to Islam, so that if someone says that they do not belief Islam is political they are viewed as heretics. (1:14)
In a full Senate committee hearing on “The Roots of Violent Islamist Extremism and Efforts to Counter it,” witnesses spoke about where violent Islamist extremism begins and what steps the United States should take to maintain strong national security. (more…)
