Bay Area Immigrants Unite to Protect the Civil Liberties and Dignity of All.

What:
Representatives from various immigrant/human rights organizations will speak out regarding the impact of the government’s “war on terrorism” on non-citizens in the United States, and will call for solidarity in 2002 in resisting the on-going deterioration of civil liberties for all. A petition calling for a series of demands of the United States government will be announced.

Why:
Though Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, and Christmas should be a time for celebration, non-citizens in the U.S. are spending this holiday season in fear. Maad Abu Ghazaleh, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee board member, responds: “Despite—or perhaps because—Arab and South Asian communities are being targeted by the U.S. government for widespread scrutiny, questioning, and detention, we must speak out on behalf of ourselves, and refuse to be intimidated into silence.” Renée Saucedo, of INS Watch/La Raza Centro Legal, comments: “People of Middle Eastern descent, Muslims and South Asians may be the current specific focus of the government’s repressive tactics, but we know from experience that all immigrants are vulnerable in the so-called ‘war on terrorism.’’’

Who:
Organized by INS Watch/La Raza Centro Legal, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Global Exchange, with allied organizations, including Al-Awda San Francisco, Al Bait Al Arabi, Arab Women’s Solidarity Association, ASATA: Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Asian Law Caucus, Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition Against the War, Barrio Defense Committee, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Critical Resistance, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Homes Not Borders, Just Act, Latinos Contra La Guerra/Latinos Against the War, Mujeres Unidas Y Activas, National Lawyer’s Guild, and National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.