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ACLU adds Arab American to National Board


Cross Posted from Revealing the ACLU: In a move that many will claim proves the alignment of this organization, the ACLU added their first Arab American to the ACLU National Board of Directors.

The following from Arab American News:

    Laila Al-Qatami, Communications Director for the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), is the first Arab American to be elected to the National Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

    Al-Qatami was elected by the ACLU’s national electorate to fill one of 30 at-large seats on the ACLU’s National Board of Directors. She will serve a three-year term on the National Board, which includes representatives from the 53 ACLU affiliates across the nation, in addition to the at-large seats.

    Additionally, she was also elected to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the ACLU National Capital Area (ACLU-NCA) affiliate by the members of the ACLU-NCA.

Laila Al-Qatami has long been the spokes person for the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, an organization with previous ties to the ACLU, most notably the ACLUs ongoing lawsuit against the Patriot Act (ACLU vs. John Ashcroft & Robert Mueller).

As a quick refresher the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee is a strong Arab lobby and part of the Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Advisory Council. It was created in 1980 by a Democratic Senator (James Abourezk) as a rival to the Jewish Anti-Defamation League. You can find more on the AAADC here. The AAADC of today officially opposes US aid to Israel, opposes the war on terror and especially the Patriot Act, opposes ethnic profiling of Arab Americans, and officially supports the Palestinian Martyrdom (homicide bombing) campaign in Israel.

We know little about Laila Al-Qatami herself. Her statements so far have been in her capacity as spokesperson for the AAADC. It seems reasonable to assume she supports the view of the AAADC, which makes her a perfect fit for the ACLU.

Naturally the ACLU can appoint as Board Members as they desire, they certainly will not be looking for my approval. However, I am sure the strengthening bonds with the Arab community will not bode well for public support.

It will be interesting to see how Al-Qatami performs for the ACLU.