Building Bridges for Civil Liberties

After the terrorist attacks of September 2001, the U.S. government enacted unprecedented new laws that compromised our civil liberties under the pretext of advancing national security. While we suffer this loss collectively, Arab and Muslim Americans are among those singled out for higher scrutiny, with their rights to due process, privacy, and nondiscrimination under continuous threat.

To confront this challenge, UUSC has teamed up with partners Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance (HAMSA), Muslim Advocates, and others. We are building bridges of solidarity between UU communities and Arab and Muslim Americans in order to begin addressing the violations that have occurred as a result of the post-9/11 security policies and to protect and strengthen rights for all Americans. UUSC asks, how can U.S. communities come together as allies to create a more just and supportive society?

A key feature of the Building Bridges project is a series of joint UUSC and partner-led workshops and activities in several major cities throughout the country. The goals are as follows:

• Raise awareness about the gravity of civil-liberties issues facing our country
• Build meaningful relationships that will help roll back some of the destructive policies of the last eight years
• Increase sensitivity to anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric in the media
• Create a greater understanding of the complexities and diversity within the Muslim-American community
• Provide resources and tools necessary for constituents to educate themselves and their congregations on these issues