10-01-2007, 09:33 PM
The Kyl-Lieberman amendment is regressive and dangerous, and we encourage you to contact the offices of your Senators to express our demand for no new U.S. war on the people of Iran.
By Ibrahim Abdil-Mu'id Ramey
MAS Freedom Civil and Human Rights Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. (MASNET) Oct. 1, 2007 - A bold and potentially dangerous amendment has been added to the U.S. Defense Authorization Bill of 2008 - and it could very well lead to a pre-emptive U.S. attack on Iran.
If you missed it, you're not alone. It's the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, named after its principle sponsors in the United States Senate (Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona and crypto-Republican Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, who used to be , at least in name, a Democrat). The amendment, which expressed the sentiment of the Senate, was passed by an overwhelming majority of 77 to 23.
What the amendment actually means is this: The Senate urges the U.S. to formally regard the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and the Al Quds Force, as "terrorist" organizations, and to authorize the use of "military instruments" to confront Iran. This amendment to the bloated DOD authorization bill was largely created as a response to recent congressional testimony from General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, who testified that Iran trains Iraqi insurgents and supplies them with munitions, including sophisticated bombs used against U.S. armored vehicles and convoys.
Senator Hilary Clinton, by the way, voted in favor of the amendment. Senator Barak Obama did not vote at all.
Senator Lieberman did, in fact, address the Senate to assert that the amendment calls for economic sanctions, rather than military attacks, against the Iranian military organizations. But while falling short of an all-out call for, the Kyl-Lieberman amendment is widely believed to be a measure that opens the door for a pre-emptive military attack on Tehran.
It's certainly no secret that the Bush administration is moving in the direction of war with Iran. U.S. military assets are being positioned for air strikes against suspected Iranian military (and suspected nuclear) installations, while the U.S. is busy galvanizing international support for even more stringent sanctions against that nation. Kyl-Lieberman now gives what amounts to a green light for the kind of aggression that could very well lead to a shooting war that would result in the catastrophic loss of untold human lives in the region-including, sadly, even more Americans in uniform.
I believe that any economic or military attack on Iran would only expand the tragedy, and folly, of a war in Iraq that should never have begun in the first place.
The Kyl-Lieberman amendment is regressive and dangerous, and we encourage you to contact the offices of your Senators to express our demand for no new U.S. war on the people of Iran.
Contact MASF-Iowa at 1-319-829-0256 or by email: freedom_foundation@masiowa.org.
About MAS Freedom
MAS Freedom (MASF) is the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), the largest Muslim grassroots, charitable, religious, social, cultural, civic and educational organization in America - with 55 chapters in 35 states.
MASF focuses on empowering the Muslim American community through civic education, participation, community outreach, and coalition building. It also actively engages other pertinent organizations and elected officials outside the Muslim community to uphold the human rights and civil liberties of all people and individuals.
MASF strives to present a balanced view of the issues confronted by Muslim Americans.
While Islam is a rapidly growing religion in America, we are also faced with many new challenges. We must truthfully project our community as upstanding, law abiding, educated and peaceful, while continuously Islamophobic and bigoted campaigns are waged against us; particularly in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attack. Many self-styled 'anti-terrorism experts' and public officials with devious agendas have unfairly attacked us and created severe difficulties for our community across the country.
MASF diligently works to meet these challenges by upholding the interest of the community, by empowering it through civic education and engagements, and by building bridges with various civic organizations and individuals.
