Issue 66: Friday, 25 Feb 2022

 

THIS WEEK IN DC — Biden Nominates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson To Supreme Court; Biden Says US Will Sanction Russian Banks, Impose Export Controls; Scott's Agenda Spurs Backlash From Democrats, GOP Alike; McConnell: 'Ratchet The Sanctions All The Way Up'; Senate Democrats Want To Fight Inflation, But There Are Limits To What They Can Do; Ukraine Crisis Draws New Resolve From Bipartisan Lawmakers — With Some GOP Critics; Leading Republican Echoes Trump's American Carnage Message For The Midterms; Plan To Fix Postal Service Shifts Retirees To Medicare, Along With Billions In Costs; Courting G.O.P.’s Mainstream And Extreme, McCarthy Plots Rise To Speaker; The White House Says Releasing More Oil From Reserves Is ‘On The Table'; Graham On Sanctions Against Russia: 'Time Is NOT On Our Side'. 

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Statement: MPAC Applauds the Historic SCOTUS Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
  • Featured Issue: Ukraine: In Defense of Democracy
  • Honoring a Voice of Courage, ​​Ajit Sahi
  • UPCOMING: MPAC President, Salam Al-Marayati moderates M.A.P.S. panel discussion


 

Statement: MPAC Applauds the Historic SCOTUS Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
 

 

In a historic move, President Biden will formally nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court this afternoon. The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) applauds and celebrates this momentous nomination...

“We welcome this nomination as a historic step toward completing America’s dream for diversity and pluralism. Today, we are upholding the important principle of equality under the law.” - Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC President

Read full statement →

 

 

Ukraine: In Defense of Democracy
By: Mohammad H. Ali, MPAC Director of Policy and Government Relations 
 

via the Guardian

 

The idea of self-governance, or democracy, started as an experiment by the founding fathers. It is a privilege that far too few around the world enjoy and remains in a constant state of fragility. 

The number of those who enjoy this privilege is on the cusp of dropping dramatically, perhaps by over 40 million people, as the Russian military has begun its invasion of Ukraine. 

Should one of the world's mightiest militaries succeed, they would not just be usurping the rights of Ukrainian citizens from having an honest voice in how they are governed, they would have succeeded in creating a precedent for stripping away such a precious right...

Read full article →


 

Honoring a Voice of Courage, ​​Ajit Sahi

 

Religious Freedom is a foundational idea which our great nation was founded upon and it’s a foundational part of the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s policy work here in Washington D.C.

Sadly, right now Muslims in India are being hunted down and are mercilessly targeted. All of it being done through the Hindutva ideology and with the backing of Prime Minister Modi and the ruling party– the BJP, who recently posted on social media an image of Muslims being hanged…

Read full article→


 

Upcoming:

 

MPAC President, Salam Al-Marayati will be moderating a panel discussion with Muslim Americans in Public Service on March 10, on the continued needs of recently displaced Afghans resettled in the U.S., and how government, non-governmental & citizen efforts are addressing Afghan humanitarian needs.

This panel will be featuring Anwar Khan (President, Islamic Relief); Haris Tarin, (Chief of Staff, Operations Allies Welcome, DHS); Zahraa Saheb (Legislative Director, Office of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16)); and Wida Amir (Board Member, Afghan-American Foundation).

Register→

 

GOOD TO KNOW

  • MPAC Policy Intern Feature, by Shahzeb Malik: President Biden announces Great Lake cleanup, declares new era for middle class Ohioans
  • Biden announces new sanctions: Putin and Russia ‘will bear the consequences’ of their war
  • U.S. carries out first airstrike in Somalia since August
  • How Russia's invasion of Ukraine could impact you
  • The U.S. looks to replace a derogatory name used hundreds of times on federal lands
  • Here’s how Noor Alexandria Abukaram fought back

 

- THIS WEEK IN HISTORY - 

Feb 20, 1978 - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan lands in Baghdad, for peace negotiations; Feb 21, 1965 - Civil Rights activist Malcolm X is shot dead by Nation of Islam followers at Audubon Ballroom in New York City; Feb 22, 1972 - Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani becomes Emir & Prime Minister of Qatar; Feb 23, 1991 - US President George H. W. Bush gives Iraq a 24-hour deadline to withdraw from Kuwait or face a ground war; Feb 24, 1528 - János Szapolyai, disputed king of Hungary, and Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent sign treaty. 


Feb 20, 1792 - US postal service created, postage 6-12 cents depending on distance; Feb 20 1952 - Emmett Ashford is certified to be first black umpire in organised baseball, has to wait until 1966 for MLB debut; Feb 21, 1792 - US Congress passes Presidential Succession Act; Feb 21, 1975 - Watergate figures John Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman & John D Ehrlichman sentenced to 2½-8 yrs for conspiracy and obstruction of justice; Feb 22 1889 - US President Cleveland signs bill to admit Dakotas, Montana & Washington state to the union; Feb 22, 1969 - Barbara Jo Rubin becomes first female jockey to win at an American parimutuel race at a major US track aboard Cohesian at Charles Town, West Virginia; Feb 23, 1836 - Alamo besieged for 13 days until March 6 by Mexican army under General Santa Anna; entire garrison eventually killed; Feb 23, 1954 - First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Feb 24, 1977 - US President Jimmy Carter announces US foreign aid will consider human rights; Feb 24, 1991 - US-led forces begin Operation Desert Sabre, the ground invasion of southern Iraq and Iraqi-occupied Kuwait.







 
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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