President Biden announces "United We Stand" Summit after calls from MPAC and other advocacy organizations in response to the Buffalo shooting.

Washington, D.C. | www.mpac.org | August 19, 2022 — Following the tragic attack in Buffalo, New York earlier this year, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) worked with leading advocacy organizations including the NAACP, Oxfam America, and Southern Poverty Law Center to call on the White House to hold a summit on domestic terrorism and hate-fueled violence. MPAC is incredibly thankful that President Biden and the Administration has heeded that call.

"We welcome the United We Stand Summit. Only through unity can we defeat this cancer in our society. We believe in developing a better understanding as the primary means of defeating hate and for bringing light to the situation to overcome the darkness. “United We Stand” promises to be an excellent first step to understanding the problem and creating lasting change that will reduce hate-based violence.” – Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC President

In 2019, MPAC published The White Supremacist Threat to America, a policy paper for policy-makers, law enforcement, and community leaders, so that we could work together and be proactive in finding a solution to the threat of White supremacy to our nation. Following its release, House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-28) stated that "every Member of Congress should read" our policy report. In 2019, Omar Ricci, MPAC Board Member and former Chairman of the Islamic Center of Southern California, testified to the House Oversight Committee about the role of anti-Muslim rhetoric in fueling this threat to America.

In response to the January 6th Capitol attack, the Biden Administration released the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Domestic Terrorism. This followed continuous advocacy from organizations like MPAC, including the release of our policy report The Double Standards of U.S. FTO vs DTO Prosecution, which highlighted the double standards that our government has used in addressing domestic and foreign terrorism. The year after the release of the Administration’s strategy, MPAC and other advocacy organizations convened thought leaders and policy makers to review progress — but it was clear that more must be done.

MPAC welcomes the “United We Stand” Summit, and we look forward to participating in this process to make America a safer home for our future generations.

Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council improves public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities.