The House Minority Leader, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, has bowed to pressure from pro-Israel groups and withdrawn his nomination of Dr. Salam Al-Marayati to serve on a new Congressional Commission on Counterterrorism. In all likelihood, this will mean that there will be no Arab-American representation on this crucial Commission. Furthermore it is part of a deeply disturbing trend of McCarthyite attacks by pro-Israel groups on any and all Arabs in U.S. government who have ever expressed any criticism of Israeli policies. This pattern must stop at once and Rep. Gephardt must renominate Dr. Al-Marayati to the Commission. The ADC press release reproduced below provides more detail and can serve as talking points for any communication on this matter.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Please contact House Minority Leader Gephardt and ask him to reject the outrageous and McCarythite false accusations against Dr Al-Marayati and to renominate him to serve on the Counterterrorism Commission write to:
Richard A. Gephardt House Minority Leader
1226 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
or call: (202) 225-2671
or fax: (202) 225-7452
or email to gephardt@mail.house.gov
Please cc all communications to adc@adc.org