Washington DC, September 21–On September 13th and14th the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) participated in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conference on Tolerance and the Fight against Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination in Brussels, Belgium. President Mary Rose Oakar and Legal Policy Director Kareem Shora represented ADC as part of a larger multicultural and multiethnic delegation that was sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR). ADC, which is an active organizational member of the LCCR, was proud to attend this distinguished event with such a diverse group of organizations that reflects the mosaic of cultures, religions, and ethnicities that make up our nation.
For pictures taken during the conference, click here >> or scroll down to the bottom of the page.
The OSCE conference aimed to build upon the general and specific discussion within the OSCE on racism, xenophobia, and discrimination of any kind, focusing specifically on Islam-phobia and anti-Semitism. For more information on the conference or the OSCE please click here >>
While at the conference, President Oakar participated in an LCCR sponsored panel entitled “Building Partnerships against Discrimination.” She emphasized the need to safe guard against further infringements upon the civil rights of Arab Americans in the name of national security. President Oakar also spoke about incidents compiled by ADC. Examples included a drunk driver that ran his car into a mosque and a Pakistani shopkeeper who was murdered because his assailants presumed he was Arab. Incident reports, President Oakar summarized, in fact doubled since September 11th, and people with Arab names or of Arab descent have been questioned by law enforcement officials, even though they were not suspects in any crime.
During the conference, ADC met with His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan and US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and head of the US delegation, Alphonso Jackson, among others. For HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal’s recent press release on the third anniversary of 9/11 and his keynote speech at OSCE in Brussels, click here >>
ADC also distributed over 200 CDs highlighting the work of the organization. These CDs included the following documents:
1. 1998-2000 Report on Hate Crimes and Discrimination Against Arab Americans – click here >>
2. 2001-2002 Report on Hate Crimes and Discrimination Against Arab Americans – click here >>
3. ADC Achievments 2003 – click here >>
4. ADC Mission Statement and Offices – click here >>
5. Facts about Arab Americans – click here >>
6. Join ADC – click here >>
7. Report an Incident to ADC using this form – click here >>