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Issue 56: Friday, 17 Dec 2021

THIS WEEK IN DC — Senate Passes Annual Defense Bill Authorizing $770 Billion In Pentagon Funding; Democrats Lack Backup Plan With Expanded Child Tax Credit Set To Lapse; Biden's Build Back Better Bill Suddenly In Serious Danger; Sen. Hassan Backs Nixing Filibuster On Voting Rights; Senate Passes Uyghur Bill, Confirms China Ambassador; Harris Says She Doesn't Even 'Think' About Whether Biden Will Run In 2024; Senators Reach Deal On Framework For Reauthorizing Violence Against Women Act; DOJ Says It Won't Agree To Payments To Families Separated At Border; Biden Admin Asks Supreme Court To Allow Nationwide Health Worker Vax Mandate; Senate Parliamentarian Rejects Latest Dem Proposal On Immigration.

IN THIS ISSUE

Statement: MPAC Congratulates Ambassador Rashad Hussain
MPAC Supports the Confirmation of Mayor Eric Garcetti as the United States Ambassador to India
Announcing Honoree of Voice of Courage Award, Ajit Sahi

MPAC Congratulates Ambassador Rashad Hussain

Earlier this evening, with bipartisan support, the United States Senate confirmed Rashad Hussain as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. MPAC congratulates Ambassador Hussain for becoming the first Muslim to be confirmed for this prestigious and pivotal position in the U.S. State Department. His confirmation affirms our nation's commitment to enriching American pluralism and advancing religious freedom worldwide.

Read our full statement →

MPAC strongly supports the confirmation of Mayor Eric Garcetti as the United States Ambassador to India. We have worked with Mayor Garcetti to improve perceptions and policies impacting American Muslims throughout his tenure as Mayor of Los Angeles. He has time and time again demonstrated his allegiance to the core American principles of equality, pluralism, and religious freedom. As such, we sincerely believe that Mr. Garcetti is the most qualified candidate to address the issues facing India today.

To support his confirmation, we have written the following letter of recommendation to the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations →.

We are thrilled to announce that MPAC will honor Ajit Sahi, the Advocacy Director of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), with our Voice of Courage Award. As an Indian American civil rights activist, Mr. Sahi has dedicated his life's work to uplifting and advancing civil and human rights. He has tirelessly campaigned for the protection of religious freedom and pluralism in India, especially over the course of the last decade, as its democracy has eroded and its Muslim population has been subject to increased oppression.

Mr. Sahi's engagement with the U.S. Congress, Department of State, and civil society organizations like Amnesty International USA has had critical impact on this issue, including his success in getting the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to recommend that the US Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

MPAC is proud to honor Ajit Sahi for his bravery and steadfast commitment to our shared American and Islamic values of equity, justice, and freedom of religion.

GOOD TO KNOW

Air Force captains bond over religion, even though they practice different ones
False prophets: When preachers defy COVID — and then it kills them
Current Covid boosters are enough to fight the omicron variant, Fauci says
US jobless claims rise but still historically low at 206,000
Dominion Voting wins key decision in lawsuit against Fox News

- THIS WEEK IN HISTORY -

Dec 12, 1098 - First Crusaders capture & plunder Mara, Syria; Dec 12, 1925 - Last Qajar Shah of Iran deposed; Rezā Shāh Pahlavi takes over; Dec 12, 1925 - Medina surrenders to Saudi forces led by Sultan Abdulaziz Ibn Saud; Dec 13, 1936 - Karim Aga Khan, Imam of Nizari-Ismaili Shia Islam, born in Geneva, Switzerland; Dec 14, 644 - Uthman ibn Affan appointed 3rd Caliph of Islam; Dec 15, 1256 - Hulagu Khan captures and destroys Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut, in present-day Iran, part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia; Dec 15, 1907 - In Persia, the Shah leads a coup d'etat against the liberal Prime Minister Nasir ul-Mulk and imprisons him, but a popular uprising forces the Shah to restore Nasir ul-Mulk soon after; Dec 16, 1903 - The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel opens its doors to guests for the first time; Dec 16, 1920 - Ma Yuanzhang, Chinese Muslim rebel and Sufi master, crushed to death during the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake at an unknown age; Dec 17, 1398 - Tamerlane captures and sacks Delhi, defeating Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies by setting camels loaded with hay alight and charging them at the Sultan's armored elephants.

Dec 12, 1822 - Mexico officially recognized as an independent nation by US; Dec 12, 1937 - NBC & RCA sends 1st mobile-TV vans onto the streets of NY; Dec 13, 1636 - The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians. Recognized today as the founding of the United States National Guard; Dec 13, 1774 - Paul Revere and Wentworth Cheswell ride to warn Portsmouth of the approach of British warships; Dec 14, 1836 - The Toledo War unofficially ends, boundary dispute between Ohio state and territory of Michigan; Dec 15, 1791 - US Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gives its approval, becomes amendments 1-10 of the US Constitution; Dec 15, 1925 - First hockey game at Madison Square Garden, NYC: Montreal Canadiens 3, NY Americans 1; Dec 16, 1913 - Charlie Chaplin begins his film career at Keystone for $150 a week; Dec 16, 1950 - US President Harry Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist imperialism"; Dec 17, 1728 - Congregation Shearith Israel of New York purchases a lot on Mill Street in lower Manhattan to build the city's first synagogue; Dec 17, 1862 - General Ulysses S. Grant issues order #11, expelling Jews from Tennessee; Dec 18, 1777 - First US national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating British General Burgoyne's surrender; Dec 18, 1917 - The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, authorizing prohibition of alcohol, is approved by the US congress and sent to the states for ratification.

Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council improves public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities. Our policy analysts provide insight from D.C. to the palm of your hand on the most pressing issues impacting American Muslims. Email is an important way for us to communicate with supporters like you. Should you want to stop hearing from us or change your preferences, click here to update your contact info or unsubscribe.

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