| | NCC Weighs In, Again, on Due Process for National Security Detainees The National Council of Churches USA Feb. 15 heard a concern expressed by the NCC's Interfaith Relations Commission on the effects of the USA PATRIOT Act on civil rights and due process for Muslim people. The Governing Board of the Council, at its quarterly meeting (Feb. 14-15), voted to receive a statement which noted that in the past the NCC has joined with other organizations "to advocate for tighter controls on current anti-terrorism efforts and the highest standard of scrutiny in laws and policy changes related to civil liberties," and has spoken out on civil rights and due process for detainees at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Graib. The statement asked that the NCC speak out more directly about the USA PATRIOT Act in order to express its solidarity with Muslims and others whose well-being continues to be threatened by some of its provisions. "This is especially important in view of the upcoming Congressional debates on certain provisions of the Act," it said. The Interfaith Relations Commission, in meetings last weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla., with representatives of a Florida social advocacy organization, HOPE (Hillsboro Organization for Peace and Equality) and the Tampa chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), heard about the case of Dr. Sami Al-Arian. Emphatically noting that it is not taking any stand on Dr. Al-Arian's guilt or innocence but rather on his right to due process and humane treatment, the Council resolved to make known concerns about the treatment of the former professor at Florida State University, arrested in February 2003. CAIR "shared with us statistics and concerns about civil rights in the Muslim community since the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act," the Commission reported. "The Muslim community came to us as an authoritative Christian body and said, 'We are hurting over this. Please stand up and be counted,'" said Betty Gamble, a member of the NCC Interfaith Relations Commission. Asserted Mia Adjali, United Methodist Church, "We are using this person as an example of so many others. Whatever this man may have done or not, the issue is the inhumane treatment that's befallen Muslim people, Arab people, anyone who looks like an Arab." In addition to the Board's action, the NCC's Justice and Advocacy Commission is developing a new policy on civil liberties. National Council of Churches 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 110 Maryland Ave. N.E., Washington, DC 20002 www.ncccusa.org Media Contact: Carol Fouke, 212-870-2252; cfouke@ncccusa.org | |
