THIS WEEK IN DC - Congress agrees to pass a second, smaller $900B stimulus bill 9 months after the first one; Trump follows through on his threat to veto the NDAA; Congress removes Robert E. Lee statue from the Capitol; Russian cyberattack continues to baffle researchers and security officials; Clyburn subpoenas HHS Sec. Alex Azar for political meddling in scientific work of CDC; Nancy Pelosi responds to Trump veto with pro-forma House vote on $2,000 stimulus checks
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IN THIS ISSUE
- Feature Story: Our Shared Roots - Muslims Owe a Debt to African Christian King Nejashi of the Abyssinian Empire
- What COVID Relief Says About Key Congressional Divides
- Should Presidents Be Able To Grant Clemency Without Checks and Balances?
- Two Trump actions bring lawmakers back to Capitol Hill
- Here’s what you need to know about Congress’s Continuity of Government Plan
- Lessons from Christchurch
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Our Shared Roots - Muslims Owe a Debt to African Christian King Nejashi of the Abyssinian Empire
Salam Al-Marayati writes on the shared roots of Muslims and Christians in Africa during the Abyssinian reign
Muslims owe a debt of gratitude to an African Christian leader in the 7th Century, a king who saved them from persecution and offered them refuge as they developed their emerging faith. The Muslims were protected in their early and formidable years not by Arab chiefs but by an African king named Nejashi of the Abyssinian empire, which now comprises modern-day Ethiopia and parts of Eritrea. The Muslim refugees fled Mecca that was ruled by the Quraish tribe at that time.
Read the full analysis →
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This Week at MPAC's D.C. Bureau
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MPAC Policy and Programs Coordinator Iman Ali traces the roots of the United States’ Continuity of Governance practice.
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MPAC Policy Analyst Adam Beddawi analyzes the negotiations over the recent COVID relief bill in order to identify key Congressional divides.
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MPAC Policy and Programs Manager M Baqir Mohie El-Deen writes on the practicality of presidential pardons.
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MPAC Policy Analyst Adam Beddawi considers the vaccine distribution plan in light of recent literature on Islamic bioethics.
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MPAC Human Security Program Manager Prema Rahman examines what lessons we can learn from the Christchurch massacre based on New Zealand’s Royal Commission of National Inquiry’s latest report.
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GOOD TO KNOW
- The motive for the recent cyberattack directed at the United States, believed to be perpetrated by Russian hackers, continues to baffle researchers.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom selects Cal. Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace VP-Elect Kamala Harris in the Senate.
- On Wednesday, Trump followed through on his threat to veto the NDAA, though Congress is expected to override his veto. Last week, we wrote on the implications of the NDAA and the context surrounding Trump's threat.
- Trump threatens to blow up the COVID relief bill over his demand for a $2,000 stimulus, but his party has blocked an attempt from House Democrats to pass just that.
- A second COVID strain outbreak has triggered European emergency measures in Spain, France, Germany, and the UK, among other places.
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This Week In History
Dec. 22, 2001, Burhanuddin Rabbani, the political leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance, hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai; Dec. 23, 962, Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo, recovering the tattered tunic of John the Baptist; Dec. 25, 1876, Birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan
Dec. 20, 1803, French flag lowered in New Orleans to mark the formal transfer of the Louisiana Purchase from France to USA for $27M; Dec. 21, 1620, Mayflower pilgrims come ashore at Plymouth Bay, traditionally thought to be at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts; Dec. 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev formally resigns as President of USSR in a televised speech
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