A Public Statement by:\r\nADC Chapters in the Western Region\r\nLos Angeles\/Orange County, San Francisco Bay Area,\r\nGreater Sacramento-Davis Area, Fresno, Phoenix,\r\nSan Diego Area\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThis appeal is borne of an urgent necessity. It seeks to\r\nsafeguard the unity and togetherness of a civil rights\r\norganization built by countless activists, mothers, fathers,\r\ngrandparents, and children over a span of more than two\r\ndecades and despite great odds. We seek to protect the\r\ndiverse family of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination\r\nCommittee (ADC) from fragmentation and destruction.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nIn particular, we appeal to members of the National Board\r\nand core ADC supporters nationwide who have repeatedly\r\nexpressed their strong desire to maintain unity and\r\nimplement accountability, democracy, and direct community\r\ninput.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe shocking and sudden termination of Mr. Michel Shehadeh,\r\nthe Western Regional Director of the ADC and a veteran\r\nnational civil rights leader, is a serious step with\r\ndangerous national ramifications that require the immediate\r\nintervention of ADC members, chapters, and the community at\r\nlarge.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWhat follows is a comprehensive assessment of what we\r\nperceive to be a recent and dangerous trend on the part of\r\nADC's national office to accept the dictates of the Bush\r\nAdministration at home and reactionary Arab regimes abroad.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWe provide evidence of political purging, undemocratic\r\ndecision-making, and alarming new efforts to hijack the\r\ngains secured by previous ADC leadership bodies and\r\nmembers. We end with a call for internal restructuring\r\nwith a specific democratic plan of community-minded action.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe ADC family needs your support! Please join us.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nOn behalf of the signatory chapters, you may call: Elias\r\nRashmawi, Vice President of the Greater Sacramento-Davis\r\nArea Chapter, and member of the ADC Western Regional\r\nChapters Task Force - (530) 304-4573, or write to:\r\nadcreform@hotmail.com\r\n<\/p>
\r\nSummary of Critical Concerns:\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThree weeks ago, immediately following the close of the\r\nAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's National\r\nConvention, Michel Shehadeh - a veteran civil rights leader\r\nand respected national grassroots activist - learned that he\r\nwas terminated as West Coast Regional Director of ADC.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThough Michel and a number of representatives from West\r\nCoast ADC chapters had been present at the National Board\r\nMeeting, the announcement came as a sudden and unexplained\r\ntop-down decision. The order took effect with a mysterious\r\nand objectionable swiftness, despite the deleterious effects\r\nit will have on thousands of Arab-Americans who work\r\nside-by-side with Michel.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nMichel Shehadeh's termination is a dangerous development\r\nwith adverse political implications for the entire\r\ncommunity. In fact, because we view this undemocratic\r\ndecision in the context of the recent attacks on Arab and\r\nArab-American civil and political rights, we are using this\r\noccasion to solemnly mark another critical era in the\r\nhistory of the United States's civil rights struggle.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe goal of the current national office is simple: to muffle\r\nthe popular grassroots voices of our community and\r\nconsolidate power into the hands of a fringe few. This\r\nunrepresentative but until now decisive minority either\r\nunconditionally consents to the Bush Administraton's\r\nprogram, or is incapable of challenging actions that hurt\r\nthe collective interests of Arab-Americans.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThis political purge was made without even allowing a father\r\nto prepare for his family's coming days. The ADC National\r\noffice issued a cold bureaucratic elimination of a civil\r\nrights leader, as though corporate commands had replaced\r\ncommunity concerns and values. It was a termination that\r\nstole from us one of our community pillars, a man who had\r\nbuilt the ADC's West Coast to be a strong and active region\r\nrespected by all. More disturbing was its message that even\r\nthose who give selflessly, and who are much loved and\r\nrespected, are nonetheless dispensable to the will of a\r\nnarrow, unaccountable fringe. Until today, the unilateral\r\ndecision - taken without consultation from the very chapters\r\nwith whom Michel works on a daily basis - has not even been\r\nformally announced. Yet, the National Office cleared out the\r\nessential contents of the Western Regional Office, carting\r\naway files and computer equipment to Washington, DC.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe timing of this decision could not have been more\r\nalarming and disarming. It came when Michel and the Regional\r\nOffice are needed the most. Students who have been under\r\nattack by rabid pro-Israelis on the campuses throughout the\r\nCalifornia university system, and who have relied on Michel\r\nfor guidance, are still unaware of the termination. The\r\ncommunity members who found in the Regional Office a\r\nsanctuary free of racism, are now bereft of their strong\r\ndefender; they too were not consulted. The multitude of\r\nmedia outlets, American organizations spanning all walks of\r\nlife - including elected officials, local and state human\r\nrights commissions, religious leaders, trade unionists, and\r\nlocal and state governments who found in Shehadeh and the\r\nWestern Regional Office an indispensable resource and\r\npartner in the construction of civil society, have lost\r\ntheir trusted Arab-American anchor.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThis all comes in our name and on our behalf. We are the\r\nADC members at large. It is we who will ultimately be held\r\nresponsible if we continue to watch this destructive course\r\nof action as it threatens to break up the Arab family.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWe, the various ADC chapters and grassroots activists of the\r\nWest Coast Region, have been engaged in an internal struggle\r\nwith the policies and motives of the current leadership\r\nsince they came to the helm of the organization following\r\nthe end of the late Hala Salam Maksoud's productive tenure\r\nat ADC. These undemocratic decision-makers are\r\nsystematically and methodically leading the organization and\r\nthe community on an ideological path of fragmentation and\r\npolitical destruction against the wishes of the inclusive\r\nmainstream. We feel that all of the gains we've achieved are\r\nbeing reversed, and the democratization efforts of the ADC\r\nare being rapidly rolled back to serve the interests of a\r\nselect few.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nMichel's Termination Constitutes\r\nan Act of Political Purging:\r\n<\/p>
\r\nIn reality, his deplorable and swift termination of Michel\r\naims to install a monolithic corporate leadership who are\r\ndetached from the needs of the community while purging\r\nactivists and civil rights leaders, many of whom have paid a\r\nheavy price to safeguard our community.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nIn fact, Michel's termination should be seen in the context\r\nof the recent attacks on leaders of all Arab organizations,\r\nincluding those advocating for civil rights, who are under\r\ntremendous pressure by the Bush Administration to support\r\nUS foreign policy in the Arab and Muslim Worlds at all\r\ncosts.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe application of this pressure has been greatly\r\nfacilitated by the 9-11 attacks on the U.S. in September\r\n2001. Today, the Bush Administration, with the help of\r\ncomplex new laws, enjoys latitude similar to that provided\r\nby the COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) era of the\r\nsixties and the seventies. As one of the most dangerous\r\nprograms against the Civil Rights movement, COINTELPRO\r\neffectively co-opted key community leaders, infiltrated and\r\nsabotaged well-known organizations, and attempted to destroy\r\nthe anti-Vietnam War peace and civil rights movements.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nA new COINTELPRO is taking place today. The Arab-American\r\nand Muslim communities are its primary victims. The creation\r\nof an imposed \"leadership\" outside the mainstream fold that\r\nwould pose little political challenge to the designs of the\r\nBush administration is paramount to the success of this\r\nprogram. A timid and consenting leadership can play an\r\nessential role in politically reinforcing the US\r\ngeo-strategic cover for Israel as it commits heinous crimes\r\nagainst the Palestinian people, and as the US government\r\nprepares for another war against Iraq.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThis dangerous \"ends justify the means\" mentality led to\r\nMichel's termination, all while his deportation case is\r\nsimultaneously being entered as the first case under the USA\r\nPATRIOT ACT. The parallels are not only striking but\r\ncalculated.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe Struggle for ADC Unity and Democratic Accountability\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWe, ADC chapters and members, recognize the importance of\r\nunity and solidarity with each other at this crucial time.\r\nBut extreme elements within the new leadership of ADC have\r\nan alternative vision. We therefore decided to break the\r\nsilence and come out publicly to inform and reclaim the\r\norganization to the grassroots and to stop political purging\r\nand victimization. We share the opinion that these\r\nundemocratic actions will expose the community as a whole,\r\nmaking it highly vulnerable and politically weak.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWe have all joined and tirelessly built the ADC over many\r\nyears because we believe in its mission and purpose: \"The\r\nAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is a civil\r\nrights organization committed to defending the rights of\r\npeople of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural\r\nheritage.\"\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThus, our reason for existence as ADC is to be an informed\r\nand vigilant overseer on behalf of the Arab-American\r\ncommunity of all institutions and individuals who practice\r\ndiscrimination, bigotry, or any form of racism against our\r\npeople. Our objective is to mobilize the community and its\r\nresources to fight such practices. In addition, the\r\norganization serves as a formidable check on the government\r\nto protect and defend the Arab American community's civil\r\nand constitutional rights in all aspects of our lives in the\r\nUnited States. The ADC does its work within the context of\r\nthe larger civil rights, peace and justice, and human rights\r\nmovements. The ADC is a grassroots membership-based\r\norganization that spans the political, religious, class,\r\ngender, age, national origin, and ideological landscape of\r\nthe Arab American community. It strives to be the broadest\r\npossible coalition of Arab Americans who agree on the common\r\ngoals outlined in the ADC's mission statement. It is a\r\nnon-regional, non-sectarian, non-partisan civil rights\r\ngrassroots organization for ALL people of Arab descent.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThus, by definition, the ADC is the antithesis of\r\ndictatorship, and political and ideological sectarianism. It\r\nserves as the umbrella that shields all Arab-Americans,\r\nregardless of background, from civil and political harm that\r\nthey might encounter within the American republic.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe ADC as a whole struggled to uphold these principles\r\nuntil very recently. The recent leadership of the national\r\noffice undemocratically expanded its control over the\r\norganization's direction and purpose and tightened its grip\r\non its resources.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWe of the grassroots worked to balance the national office's\r\ntendencies by working to expand the margins of democracy\r\nwithin the organization, and have incorporated the\r\nmainstream membership in decision-making processes,\r\nenhancing the national office's transparency, openness and\r\nthe accountability of its leadership. We, the chapters,\r\nbelieve that this balanced struggle brings a healthy and\r\nvibrant political culture that has enabled the organization\r\nto move forward in a win-win fashion. The new authoritarian\r\nleadership aims to reverse this inclusive process, and\r\nfunctions in a zero-sum way that leaves no space whatsoever\r\nfor debate and exchange of ideas.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe Constructive Tenure of Dr. Maksoud:\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe former president and leader of the organization, the\r\nlate Hala Salaam Maksoud, understood these dynamics and\r\nmasterfully channeled the energy emanating from such debate\r\nover ideas in a positive and productive way. Together with\r\nthe chapters, Dr. Maksoud built a major political force that\r\nhas the potential of leading the Arab American community\r\nfrom vulnerability to empowerment. Dr. Maksoud understood\r\nwhy diversity of ideas is a source of empowerment and wealth\r\nfor the organization and for the community. This approach\r\nworked. Everybody benefited from her inclusive style of\r\nleadership.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nDuring her tenure as the national president of ADC, Dr.\r\nMaksoud formulated four principles that hit a favorable\r\nchord with the community. These principles are:\r\n<\/p>
\r\n1- To achieve financial self-sufficiency of ADC with\r\ncommunity resources, and to reject direct and indirect\r\ngovernmental donations and interventions from Arab regimes.\r\nShe understood the political cost of such assistance.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n2- To work with the grassroots and chapters to\r\nsubstantially increase ADC's transparency of political and\r\nfinancial decision making\r\n<\/p>
\r\n3- To open the decision making process at the national\r\nlevel to the participation of the grassroots in determining\r\nthe strategic direction of the organization.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n4- To institutionalize and push the organization towards\r\nprofessionalism, and to rid it from dependencies on specific\r\npersonalities.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThese democratic principles resulted in the community's\r\nenthusiastic embrace of the ADC, which in turn encouraged\r\ngrassroots participation. For the first time, the ADC stood\r\nto regain lost credibility with the Arab-American community\r\nafter it was about to close shop in the aftermath of the US\r\nwar on Iraq in the early 1990s.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThe Destructive Pattern of the Undemocratic Minority:\r\n<\/p>
\r\nFor the past year since Ziad Asali and his associates came\r\nto power, the national office started to consolidate its\r\ngrip on the organization, greatly reducing grassroots gains\r\nand participation. A blatantly patronizing form of\r\nleadership emerged that surrendered basic rights under the\r\npretext of \"protecting the community.\" The new leadership\r\naims to stifle debate within the community, especially at\r\nthe grassroots level, in order to provide visible\r\nideological (and possibly material) support to its allies in\r\nthe Bush Administration. The following features characterize\r\nMr. Asali's reign as ADC President:\r\n<\/p>
\r\n1. As demonstrated during the McCarthy era, and as we\r\nanticipated from the new \"counter terror legislation,\" the\r\nADC's new leadership began purging authentic members of the\r\ngrassroots who devoted their lives to serving the community\r\nand to the ADC for many years. The goal has been to silence\r\nthem and to send an intimidating message to others in order\r\nto eliminate dissent and opposition to their policies.\r\nMichel Shehadeh was the first step. He was terminated from\r\nhis position at the organization under the pretext of\r\ncorporate \"restructuring\" when it was clear to us who worked\r\nwith Michel on daily basis that this was an insidious and\r\ndestructive move. For the past 15 years, Michel has been\r\nfighting on our behalf, and on the behalf of immigrants and\r\nvictims of civil rights violations, at great personal cost\r\nto himself. He consistently worked to defend our\r\nconstitutional rights as Arabs of all religions, to uphold\r\nour right to free speech and organization, as guaranteed\r\nunder the Constitution. We believe that the decision to\r\nterminate Mr. Shehadeh was politically motivated and in\r\naccordance with the historical designs of the FBI.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n2. The new leadership was shamefully silent in the face of\r\nvicious attacks by the Israeli political machinery on our\r\ncommunity's institutions in the US, especially against our\r\nstudents on campuses who are working on behalf of peace with\r\njustice in Palestine. As the pro-Israeli Anti-Defamation\r\nLeague (ADL) attacks escalate on the General Union of\r\nPalestine Students (GUPS) and the Students for Justice in\r\nPalestine (SJP) at San Francisco State University and the\r\nUniversity of California, Berkeley and Davis, the ADC's\r\ncurrent national leadership maintained total silence -- all\r\nwhile continuously implored to act by the chapter members\r\nand by Michel Shehadeh.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n3. The new leadership disregards the grassroots in crucial\r\ndecisions at a time when unity and input are badly needed.\r\nThe organization at this difficult time needs all the\r\ntalents and expertise of its members and those of the\r\ncommunity to broaden its base, not narrow it.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n4. Asali's leadership surrendered ADC's autonomous role as a\r\nwatchdog of the US government, especially in issues where\r\nforeign and domestic policies overlapped, ostensibly under\r\nthe guise of introducing a \"new language.\"\r\n<\/p>
\r\n5. The new leadership systematically disengaged from our\r\nnatural and historical allies, and the broad coalitions that\r\nwe succeeded in building with communities that share common\r\ninterests, and replaced them with Arab regimes and with the\r\ndomestic governmental forces that are actively attacking our\r\ncommunity.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n6. Asali's leadership unjustifiably surrendered important\r\nissues including civil liberties, Palestine, and Iraq under\r\nthe pretext of \"access to people in power\", at a time when\r\nwe need all our strength and resources to pressure the\r\ngovernment to be fair.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n7. Finally, the ADC abandoned the Muslim-American community\r\nand its representative organizations, who face an\r\nunprecedented crackdown on their civil liberties and\r\nconstitutional rights. These sister organizations and\r\nnatural allies are an important defense for all vulnerable\r\ncommunities including Arab-Americans.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nA Plan for Democratic reform and Accountability:\r\n<\/p>
\r\nIt is imperative that we unite to salvage our organizations,\r\nespecially the ADC, from this destructive turn for the\r\nworse. We must reject those who want to keep us in the dark,\r\nunder dictatorships - whether these dictatorships seek to\r\nrun our organizations or lead our nations. We must reject\r\nthose who wish to recreate a mirror image of the corrupt\r\nArab regimes abroad by purging those individuals who dare to\r\nspeak for the interests of the community.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nIt is in that context that we present a plan to democratize\r\nand re-gain the ADC. We shouldn't accept anything less than\r\nbeing first class citizens, both in our country and in our\r\norganizations.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nBrothers and sisters:\r\n<\/p>
\r\nWe have a plan that revolves around creating a truly\r\ngrassroots democratic representation. We call for:\r\n<\/p>
\r\n1. The establishment of an ADC Congress that is\r\ndemocratically elected based on principles of proportional\r\nrepresentation. This body, together with the national board,\r\nwill help formulate long-term direction for the ADC. It will\r\nconvene periodically in conferences to debate policies and\r\nrecommend directions for the ADC national board of\r\ndirectors. 2. This body will also elect an executive\r\ncommittee that will stay in touch with the national board,\r\nhelping it implement policies and provide grassroots and\r\ncommunity feedback to the board and national office. 3. The\r\nnational president will be hired as a professional\r\nadministrator who creatively works to implement the policies\r\nof the organization and is accountable to the board, who in\r\nturn is accountable to the grassroots.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nTowards democracy in our country and in our organization.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nOur ultimate goal is to create a system that will invigorate\r\nthe chapters as they democratically work for the greater\r\ngood of the community. Such a system will also create a\r\nvibrant and competitive electoral process based on\r\nperformance as opposed to agreeability. We call upon all\r\nchapters, nationwide, to unite in this endeavor to\r\ndemocratize the ADC. Our collective task is to complete an\r\nimportant mission that was initiated two decades ago.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nIn the wake of the World Trade Center bombing, the massacres\r\nin the West Bank and Gaza, the imminent threat to Iraq, and\r\nthe suspension of constitutional protection of Arab\r\nimmigrants, it is urgent that we move to reclaim the ADC\r\nimmediately from a fringe that aims to destroy our\r\nhistorical achievements. We can only do it democratically,\r\nand only if we work together.\r\n\r\n<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"A statement calling for the reinstatement of Michael Shehadeh, prominent civil rights activist, who was relieved of his role as Western Regional Director. ","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2002\/07\/17789.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}