In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful AMC Update December 22, 1999 Secretary Albright Hosts First Ramadan Iftar with American Muslims (Washington, DC, December 22) - About sixty American Muslim leaders attended the first iftar (Ramadan fast-breaking) at the State Department yesterday evening hosted by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Secretary Albright told the gathering that it invited members of the American Muslim community because "U.S. foreign policy is conducted in your name. And like other citizens, you may not agree with everything we do, but you should at least feel a connection to it, and know that your views are being heard." She spoke on the need for international tolerance across religious and cultural lines, and noted that the Russian strategy in Chechnya is "fundamentally misguided" because "killing the innocent does not defeat terror; it feeds terror." She also addressed stereotyping Muslims have faced in America, and encouraged community leaders to help recruit American Muslims to the U.S. Foreign Service. The iftar dinner continued a tradition established several years ago by the American Muslim Council. AMC co-hosted the first iftar events on Capitol Hill (1996) and at the Pentagon (1998). In 1996, AMC initiated the first Eid-al-Fitr holiday celebration at the White House with First Lady Hillary Clinton. Since last year, AMC had encouraged the State Department to host a Ramadan iftar with American Muslims. AMC executive director Aly R. Abuzaakouk, during the dinner, spoke with Secretary Albright on Muslim concerns regarding sanctions in Iraq, the assault on Chechnya, Kashmir, and the underrepresentation of Muslims in the State Department. Mr. Abuzaakouk said, "The dinner was an opportunity to bring to light the foreign policy concerns of American Muslims, whether it's Chechnya or sanctions on Iraq. It's a civil and moral obligation for American Muslims to engage our government. And it's an obligation of our government to respond to the concerns of all Americans. This dialogue is critical." The dinner was attended by leaders of Muslim organizations, the imams and leaders of Washington metropolitan area mosques, and Muslim staff working in Congress and the State Department. Harold H. Koh, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Skip Gnehm, head of the U.S. Foreign Service; and Robert Seiple, Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom, also participated in the dinner. **AMC NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT. OUR EFFORTS DEPEND ON YOU. MAKE YOUR DONATION TODAY. **CONTRIBUTE TO AMC EVERY TIME YOU SPEND. APPLY FOR YOUR MEF PLATINUM VISA CARD AT www.amconline.org /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV THE AMERICAN MUSLIM COUNCIL 1212 NEW YORK AVENUE, NW, SUITE 400 WASHINGTON, DC 20005 PHONE : (202) 789-2262 FAX : (202) 789-2550 E-MAIL : [log in to unmask] >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------