Muslim Legal Fund of America joined Brennan Center for Justice and more than 50 other organizations in a letter urging U.S. congressional leadership to reject proposals to expand Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs that the groups argue do not make America safer and undermine constitutional rights.
CVE programs target constitutionally protected political and religious speech and beliefs as a basis for suspicion of criminal activity. Representatives from MLFA say that such a government-sponsored encroachment on civil liberties serves only to chill speech.
"CVE programs hurt America by attempting to criminalize free speech in the minds of program participants," said Khalil Meek, executive director of MLFA. "Such a program threatens to erode our most basic freedoms, and we are asking Congress to safeguard these freedoms."
About Muslim Legal Fund of America
Muslim Legal Fund of America is a national nonprofit charity that funds projects to defend constitutional rights in America. Established in 2001, MLFA has defending freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to a fair trial, right to an attorney, due process of law and other constitutional rights.
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Groups that signed the letter are:
Advocates for Youth
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
American Friends Service Committee
Arab American Institute
ARTICLE 19
Asian Americans Advancing Justice- Asian Law Caucus
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Campaign for Liberty
Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)
Center for Media Justice
Center for New Community
Church World Service
CLEAR (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility) Project at CUNY Law
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Defending Rights & Dissent
Fight for the Future
Franciscan Action Network
Free Press Action Fund
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Government Accountability Project
Hip Hop Caucus
Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center
Just Foreign Policy
Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee -Sisters of St. Francis
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Liberty Coalition
MPower Change
Muslim Advocates
Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative
Muslim Justice League
Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA)
NAACP
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
National Network for Arab American Communities
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
NIAC (National Iranian American Council) Action
Pesticide Action Network
PolicyLink
Project South
Restore the Fourth
RootsAction.org
The Rutherford Institute
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
X-Lab
Click here to read the letter.
Source: MLFA
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