MPAC CALLS FOR AMERICAN MUSLIM ADVISOR FOR
SECRETARY RICE’S TRIP TO MIDDLE EAST

(Washington, DC - 7/21/06)—The Muslim Public Affairs Council today sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice articulating the need for an American Muslim advisor to travel with her as an advisor during her trip to the region.

In times such as these, America’s best resource for developing a strategic approach is the voice of credible and authentic representatives from the American Muslim community who can provide increased understanding of the sentiments on the Arab and Muslim street. Such insight is crucial to our nation’s ability to develop a comprehensive diplomatic settlement to the current crisis.

The letter states:

Dear Secretary Rice,

As you prepare for your trip to the Middle East, we feel it is important for you to hear from the American Muslim community.  Since their perspectives and points of views are invaluable in helping you understand the sentiment on the streets of the Arab and Muslim worlds, we urge you to include an American Muslim advisor with you during the trip.  We appreciate the opportunities you have provided us in the past, and believe that our contributions will complement and contextualize the perspectives offered by government officials you meet with in the region. We also suggest you consider the following points as you deliberate with our allies in the Middle East.

1.  We need an immediate, unconditional cease fire to exemplify our commitment to act as a fair and honest broker for peace in the region.  This ground invasion, no matter how limited, will not resolve the conflict and will not make Israel any safer.  We cannot sit by while we see American ammunition paid for by American taxpayers crush the Cedar Revolution, bomb bridges and infrastructure, and destroy a model of democracy in Lebanon, which is considered one of the most critical cultural bridges between the Middle East and the West.

2.  The tactic of invasion and occupation did not work in Lebanon in 1982.  Rather, the result of the bombing and invasion of the early 1980s in an attempt to dismantle the PLO was the creation of Hizbullah.  Now, Israel is attempting to dismantle Hizbullah while the net effect will be the bolstering of Hizbullah’s popularity and political power in Lebanon, if not replacing Hizbullah with a more radical group.  A major root cause of extremism in the Middle East is war and occupation, as evident in Iraq today.  We cannot afford to have a more radicalized Middle East today than yesterday, for that will create more despair and a higher propensity for recruitment by extremist groups.

3.  The major issue to us as American Muslims and by extension Muslims worldwide is a negotiated diplomatic solution that respects the sanctity of life, whether Israeli or Lebanese or Palestinian.  The U.S. cannot relegate its leadership role to one of the groups in the conflict.  The one-side nature of U.S. actions in the Middle East will hurt us as Americans for generations to come.

4.  We believe that you should not leave the region until the hostilities and bombings end.  This was the legacy of Henry Kissinger in the early 1980s and it worked.  We must re-engage not only at the highest levels of our government on this issue but at the grassroots level.  Hence, our input to you on reaching the masses of the Muslim world is invaluable is critical to serving America’s interests.

5.  The Lebanese and Palestinian people are receiving a collective punishment that is clear violation of all customary and treaty based standards of international law.  Reasonable democracies do not bomb water and power plants or the military barracks of the Army they need to work with against the aggressors.  This is the same body of law that Israel is citing for the “right to defend itself.”

6.  Arabic language news reports are saying that Israel is currently using chemical weapons in Lebanon. Phosphorous laden missiles have been found and reports are indicating that chemically burned corpses are being brought into Lebanese hospitals in the south.  There must be clear language by all parties in the Middle East to ban use of chemical weapons. “We expect you to publicly call upon Israel to cease the use of chemical and all banned and illegal weapons.” 

We feel that these issues are crucial to serving America’s interests, and the role of American Muslims in the policy discourse is critical. We ask that your leadership role should not only be in a diplomatic capacity in the Middle East but also in further engagement with the Muslim community.

Sincerely,

Salam Al-Marayati
Executive Director
Muslim Public Affairs Council