CAAO leaders described their meetings with the State and Justice Departments as productive but added that there is much work to be done. PHOTO: TAAN

DEARBORN — The Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) sent delegates to Washington D.C. this past week to meet with senior officials from both the U.S. State Department and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The trip was a follow-up visit consistent with the group’s goal of reaching out and actively engaging with government officials.

The discussions were centered mainly on Middle East affairs such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as issues involving Iraq, Iran and Syria and issues at home regarding discrimination cases involving Arabs.

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Michigan Director Imad Hamad was among those who attended with the CAAO.

“The Congress advocated for constructive engagement with all parties and the use of diplomatic tools versus all others,” he said.

Hamad said no issues were off limits in the discussions.

“The State Department was very frank, there were no taboos and people spoke their minds freely on both sides,” he said.

“This is an American democracy and nobody felt intimidated or shy to say things as is.”

One of the main topics was President Barack Obama’s recent talks with Israel on halting the construction of new settlements, and CAAO advocated the idea as part of a two-state solution in Palestine. The group stressed the importance of Arab and Jewish groups in the U.S. working together to find a peaceful solution as soon as possible.

Attorney Jim Allen was present for the talks and said that more Arab representation is needed in Washington.

“One of the points we wanted to get across was we have all seen nearly a complete lack of diversity when it comes to Arab American representation in the State Department and the Justice Department,” he said.

“We feel that as a result of both of those departments failing to reach people in our community, the policies adopted have in many respects been policies that have been unfavorable to the people here and towards Middle Eastern countries.”

Allen cited the appointment of George Mitchell as Obama’s Middle East Envoy as a positive step but added that it’s also crucial that the people writing policies and feeding him information gain a better understanding of the real issues.

Allen would also like to see more students steered toward careers in International Business and Foreign Services by counselors to help change policies from the ground up in the future.

Hamad also said the U.S. should make an effort to reach out to all parties in order to find a solution to the problems in the Middle East region.

“With the issue of Hizbullah and the Lebanese government, it’s about not taking sides and serving the best interest of the Lebanese people,” Hamad said. “Everybody acknowledged what they represent yet they stand in the position of being a terrorist organization.

“We understand that and recognize that’s the law, nobody wishes to violate that, but it is in the best interests to debate the merits of declassification and to engage with both parties. We can’t be constructive if we classify this as good and this as bad.”

Hamad said he wished to see more policies consistent with Obama’s message and not with the Bush policies of old.

He said that there is an issue of selective prosecution in the Arab community in cases that seem politically motivated, using the term “witch hunt” and saying that there should be more oversight.

“We want to help this community put at ease this fear and intimidation that has governed our lives for a while.”

Hamad added that issues pertaining to excessive delays of citizenship were discussed and part of the issue is that there are multiple checklists under the jurisdiction of different departments. The issue of creating transparency regarding acceptable charities to donate to was also brought to light.

While both Hamad and Allen acknowledge that there is still a long way to go both at home and abroad, the talks were considered productive. Allen noted that there are some positive signs of change in Washington.

“The Justice Department has some very dedicated people who care deeply about the civil rights of all Americans and they have certainly put their money where their mouth is in terms of defending Arab and Muslim Americans targeted for discrimination,” he said.

“They do a credible job in that respect but they can do better by making sure efforts in recruitment have at least some focus on our people.”