Muslims
to host Patriot Act forum
By
Sean Emery
On-line Forty-Niner
In
an effort to raise student awareness about
the effects of the Patriot Act, the Muslim
Student Association will host a forum with
a variety of speakers today from noon to
2 p.m. in the Speaker's Platorm across from
the University Bookstore.
According
to members of the Muslim Student Association,
the purpose of the event is to combat what
they perceive to be a widespread lack of
knowledge about the far reaching effects
of the Patriot Act. They feel that, despite
the importance of the legislation, many
people just are not aware of all the Patriot
Act entails.
"It's
a response to the fact that [most people]
know more about the Kobe Bryant rape case
than we do about this hijacking of our civil
liberties," said Zahra Billoo, the
public relations officer for the Muslim
Student Association. "There is all
this stuff it can do, b I don't even know
[all the aspects of it]. That's why we are
hosting this event, because so many members
don't know about it."
The
Patriot Act, which was passed in the aftermath
of Sept. 11, was meant to aid law enforcement
in their efforts to track and apprehend
potential terrorists. It has since come
under fire from critics who accuse the act
of allowing law enforcement to infringe
upon the privacy rights of innocent citizens.
"The
problem is that there was a false choice
presented that we have to choose between
privacy and security," said Amber Jamil,
a member of the non-profit Long Beach Civil
Liberties Defense Union, which helped to
organize the Patriot Act forum. "A
lot of people don't know what it is all
about, but once you start talking to them
[about the act] they get a sense that this
is wrong."
According
to members of the association, the act has
also helped to contribute to an atmosphere
that is hostile to the Muslim American community.
"There
is always the feeling of people looking
at us like we're outsiders, even though
we were born and raised here," said
Aisha Aslam, a member of the Muslim Student
Association.
"A
lot of us don't take the time to educate
ourselves," Billoo said. "I don't
care if you're for or against the Patriot
Act, my problem is the fact that [many]
people don't even know what it is."
Today's
forum will consist of three speakers who
will be discussing different aspects of
the Patriot Act, and its effect on individual
student's Kripa Upadhay from the South Asia
Network will be discussing the effect the
Patriot Act has had on minorities. Sonai
Kolhatkar from KPFK will be discussing the
sunset clause in the patriot act and the
proposed Patriot Act 2. Roy Stone from the
librarians' guild will be discussing the
effects the act has on the individuals right
to privacy.
For
the Long Beach Civil Liberties Defense Union,
this event is part of a larger campaign
to educate citizens about the Patriot Act,
one that she hopes will lead to a Long Beach
City Council resolution against the patriot
act.
"It's
a really exciting time, since you're seeing
a new generation getting involved,"
Jamil said. "It's a matter of turning
your T.V. off and getting out there and
getting involved."
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