Friend,

As I made clear to administration officials and members of Congress, our concerns about Israel's admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program are not about Israel. Our concerns are about whether our president will protect the rights of Arab American citizens; whether our government will honor the pledge found in our passports and enshrined in the equal protection clause in the Constitution; and whether our president will live up to his promise to fight against discriminatory policies and those that penalize the free speech of US citizens. In short, will our government stand for you and your rights?

AAI will continue to raise this issue and stand for Arab American rights. I ask you to do the same. Send a message to your members of Congress and to the Administration [[link removed]] . Your government should not allow your citizenship to be treated as less than.

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Just days after the announcement, AAI convened a townhall and was joined by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). His leadership on this issue has been critical and always emphasizes that the equal treatment of all Americans is central to the basic requirements of the Visa Waiver Program. AAI Executive Director Maya Berry , AAI Board of Governors Member Eddie Ayoob ; Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Abed Ayoub ; and Arab American writer and advocate living in Ramallah, Sam Bahour ; and the Past President of the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine, Hanna Hanania also joined the conversation. If you couldn't attend the live session, you may watch it here [[link removed]] .

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Don't be silent. Make your voice heard [[link removed]] .

Regards,

Jim

Arab American Institute Foundation
1600 K Street, NW, Suite 601
Washington, DC 20006
United States
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