Statement on Countering Violent Extremism Summit
CAIR, along with many national human rights, civil liberties, and community-based organizations, signed a joint statement expressing concerns about the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) summit being held at the White House February 18 - 19.
"Many of our organizations have received invitations to the Summit. Some of us plan to attend, while others have declined. Regardless of our direct participation in the Summit, we stand united to express our grave concerns with the framework of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), which almost exclusively focuses on Muslim communities in the United States and abroad. We have raised these concerns in the past, separately and in concert. We have yet to receive a meaningful response from the Administration."
The continuing concerns with the CVE framework are as follows:
- Stigmatization of American Muslim communities.
- Reliance on flawed models.
- Impact on religious experience and political expression.
- Relationship to abusive counterterrorism practices.
- Funding of private individuals and organizations.
The statement is signed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Arab American Association of New York, Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility Project at CUNY School of Law, DRUM – South Asian Organizing Center, Muslim Advocates, National Network for Arab American Communities, and South Asian Americans Leading Together.