British, US Muslims Share Experiences in London Conf.

LONDON, June 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The British capital hosts Saturday, June 25, a one-day conference to probe challenges and experiences of British and American Muslims and mull solutions for both minorities in both sides of the Atlantic.

Bringing together leading professionals, lobbyists and policy-makers from both Britain and the United States, the one-day meeting will compare challenges and share experiences of both minorities.

The meeting, which is held as part of the Transatlantic Dialogue series, will also explore practical issues and solutions for greater empowerment and engagement of Muslims in both countries.

Under the title “British Muslims, American Muslims: Empowerment, Engagement, Enrichment", the conference is organized by the Fulbright Commission in tandem with the City Center.

Guest speakers at the meeting include British Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Nihad Awad and Carol Madison Graham, the Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission.

Lord Bhatia Baroness Kishwer, Anas Al Shaikh-Ali of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Mohamed Aziz of the Commission for Racial Equality, Dr Haifaa Khalafallah, the Director of the Center for Islamic Mediterranean Studies and other dignitaries will also address the meeting.

The Muslim minorities in both Britain and the United States have been facing difficult times since the 9/11 attacks.

British Muslims have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by police for no apparent reason other than being Muslim, citing the routine stop-and-search operations.

Senior British parliamentarians admitted last August that anti-terrorism laws are being used “disproportionately” against the Muslim minority.

Amnesty International said in a report on the third anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that Racial profiling by US law enforcement agencies has grown over the past three years to cover one in nine Americans, mostly targeting Muslims.

A new nation-wide poll, conducted by the Cornell University and posted on its Web site, showed that at least 44 percent of the American society back curbing Muslims’ civil rights and monitoring their places of worship.

A May 2004 report released by the US Senate Office Of Research concluded that the Arab Americans and the Muslim community in the United States have taken the brunt of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Visit the conference's Web site…