Summary
While addressing the attendees, [Daniel Sutherland] acknowledged the importance of engagement between the American Muslim community and the United States Government. During his speech he said: "We are listening; we have an open door. There is no reason for Muslims in America to feel isolated from their government; we are working together regularly. One of the first great national mottos of our country is E. Pluribus Unum. It means 'From many, one' or 'Out of many, one'. It refers to the integration of America. This is our goal and in many respects our reality. Americans come from many backgrounds, many countries, many faiths; but immigrants have successfully integrated into the American dream for generations." American Muslims are no different.
Sutherland cited areas where concrete results have already been attained. One area he points to is training that all federal law enforcement agents have received against racial profiling. During the iftar dinner at the British Embassy, Sutherland announced a new DHS training DVD entitled, "Introduction to Arab American and Muslim American Cultures for DHS Personnel." Said Sutherland: "The training will serve two purposes: First, it will educate our employees, so that they can do a more effective job when they interact with Arab and Muslim travelers; second, we hope that it will demonstrate that we are taking seriously the goal of increasing the government's level of expertise and engagement on these critical topics. The DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties developed the DVD, which outlines the basics of Arab and Muslim cultures, traditions and beliefs, and also provides information on history, geography, and naming conventions. Sutherland stated, "The overall goal of the training is to improve the effectiveness of DHS staff as they work together with these communities to better secure America."See the full content of this document
Extract
Dhs Civil Rights Division Reaches Out
DEARBORN - On October 19, 2006, the British Embassy and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) co-hosted an interagency iftar in celebration of Ramadan. Alan Charlton, Deputy Head of Mission for the British Embassy, held the reception at his residence. Attendants included leaders from the American Muslim communi...
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