(Washington, DC) – Representatives of several Islamic organizations met with State Department officials earlier this summer to discuss civil rights issues of Muslims in America. Among the topics was the use of secret evidence, which only applies to aliens in deportation proceedings by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

This was a unique opportunity for Muslims in America to have their voices heard by the varied government officials in attendance, including Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Harold Hongju Koh, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Robert A. Seiple, Civil rights attorney Julia Fernandez, Department of Justice, and officials from the White House and the Federal Aviation Association.

On the much misunderstood issue of secret evidence, Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR and Aly Abuzakouk, Executive Director of AMC both made strong statements in support of detained individuals such as Mazen al-Najjar, of Tampa, Florida. In an attempt to incorporate other pertinent issues for its constituency, ISCA representatives mentioned that there were thousands of Muslims who were not represented in the meeting who are US citizens, whose viewpoints were not being represented and whose concerns include other important aspects of their lives as American Muslims. Among the issues included are the voucher system for religious schools, official recognition of Muslim holy days and equal rights to religious observance for Muslim prisoners.

In response to this plea, it is interesting to note the statement made by Mr. Abdur Rahman Alamoudi, Executive Director of the American Muslim Federation (and AMC board member). "I think we do represent the entire Muslim community, and if you disagree, I would like to see a list of names of those whom we do not represent." [Note: There are an estimated 6 – 8 million Muslims in America.]

Other issues discussed at the meeting involved alleged discriminatory treatment of Muslims by federal authorities, selective profiling and recruitment of qualified Muslims to serve in government positions.