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IN THIS ISSUE
- Featured Issue: George Floyd’s Murder Rekindled A Movement
- MPAC Applauds Commitment to Diversity by Biden Administration: President Biden Makes History by Nominating First Muslim Federal Judge
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George Floyd’s Murder Rekindled A Movement
The whole world watched as video evidence surfaced last summer of Officer Derek Chauvin using the knee restraint technique on George Floyd that ultimately ended his life. Now, the world’s center stage is the courtroom in Minneapolis, as Chauvin undergoes trial for the murder of Floyd. This is a moment of reckoning; however, this case is not unique. In Minneapolis alone, between 2015 and 2020, 44 people were forced unconscious by police rendering the knee restraint technique. On the national level, since 2005, out of the thousands of fatalities caused by police officers, fewer than 140 officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter, and only seven have been convicted of murder. These figures don’t include the decades of America’s systematic police brutality against African Americans. What makes this case notable was that it happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the whole world was on pause, allowing the masses to view the crime committed by Officer Chauvin.
As the trial unfolds, it’s vital that one keeps their expectations low.
Read the full article →
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MPAC Applauds Commitment to Diversity by Biden Administration
The Muslim Public Affairs Council applauds the Biden Administration for fulfilling its promise to make each branch of the U.S. government more representative of the diverse nature of America. In the past few months, we have seen an American Muslim woman, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Sameera Fazili, speak from the White House dais on economic policy. The President nominated Dilawar Syed for the Small Business Administration and has expressed interest in nominating Lina Khan for the Federal Trade Commission. Judge Quraishi, if confirmed, will be the first Muslim on the federal bench. In contrast to the existential threat felt by Trump’s “Islam hates us” mantra, the President’s nomination of Judge Zahid Quraishi, Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey, would harken a new era of progress in American Muslims securing our place in roles that have not been historically filled by Muslims.
Now is the time to get to know Zahid Quraishi and for him to get to know the American Muslim community. That opportunity will arise in the Senate confirmation hearing, when the Judiciary Committee will question Judge Quraishi on his record as a military prosecutor during the occupation of Iraq between 2004 and 2007, his judgments as Assistant Chief Counsel and trial attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, and his role as Assistant US Attorney and Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey. Sponsored by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Judge Quraishi will face the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin (D-IL). MPAC will be submitting questions to the Chairman and his fellow Senators on the committee.
There are approximately 900 Article III judgeships in the federal government, and several thousand appointments throughout the agencies in the executive branch. We look forward to even more well-qualified Muslims contributing to all branches of the government as we proceed under a President that values representation of all Americans. MPAC is partnering with other Muslim organizations to make that reality our ultimate goal.
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GOOD TO KNOW
- Trial of Derek Chauvin, charged with killing George Floyd, continues
- All 50 states now have expanded or will expand Covid vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and up
- Shooting at California office building leaves 4 dead, including 9-year-old boy
- Pfizer/BioNTech says its Covid-19 vaccine is 100% effective and well tolerated in adolescents
- US Navy: For first time in history four women of color command war ships
- 5 people shot, 2 dead after shooting in Congress Heights
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Let's be honest - prison culture compromises human dignity. Next Thursday, April 8th at 5:30pm Pacific, join MPAC's African American Muslim Insight Council (AAMIC) and special guests as we shine a light on human rights violations in criminal justice. Sponsored by the creators of Humanitarian Day, INKERIJ, this is a conversation that you won't want to miss.
RSVP →
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“If anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind.”
— SURAH 5:32 —
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Vaccination is the best tool we have to defeat the pandemic. MPAC is proud to be a founding member of the national volunteer COVID-19 Community Corps with HHS! Join us in the fight to protect America’s health #WeCanDoThis.
JOIN US →
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— THIS WEEK IN HISTORY —
March 28, 1962 - Military coup in Syria, President Nazim al-Kudsi flees; March 29, 1949 - Turkey recognizes Israel; March 30, 1976 - Israel kills 6 Palestinians protesting land confiscation; March 30, 1984 - US ends participation in multinational Lebanon peace force; March 31, 1992 - UN Security Council voted to ban flights & arms sales to Libya; April 1, 1974 - Ayatollah Khomeini calls for an Islamic Republic in Iran; April 1, 1983 - Iraq increases missile attacks on Iran; April 2, 1453 - Turkish forces under Sultan Mehmed II begin the siege of Constantinople (Istanbul), which falls May 29; April 2, 1917 - Jeannette Rankin (Rep-R-Montana) begins her term as 1st woman member of US House of Reps; April 2, 1979 - Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Cairo; April 2, 2002 - Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated. A siege ensues; April 3, 1929 - Persia agrees to Litvinov Pact; April 3, 1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's 1st meeting with US President Jimmy Carter; April 3, 1991 - UN Security Council adopts Gulf War truce resolution.
March 28, 1796 - Bethel African Methodist Church of Philadelphia is 1st US-African church; March 28, 1799 - New York State abolishes slavery; March 28, 1804 - Ohio passes law restricting movement of Blacks; March 29, 1852 - Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 and women to work more than 10 hours a day; March 29, 1961 - 23rd Amendment to the US Constitution ratified, allowing Washington, D.C. residents to vote in presidential elections; March 30, 1870 - 15th Amendment to the US constitution is adopted, guarantees right to vote regardless of race; March 30, 1981 - US President Ronald Reagan is shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, three others are also wounded; March 31, 1736 - Bellevue Hospital founded in a New York City almshouse - 1st public hospital in the US; March 31, 1980 - President Jimmy Carter deregulates banking industry; April 1, 1866 - US Congress rejects presidential veto giving all equal rights in US; April 1, 1867 - Blacks vote in municipal election in Tuscumbia, Alabama; April 1, 1991 - US Supreme Court rules jurors cannot be barred from serving due to race.
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