|
|
April 25, 2003/Nisan 23 5763, Vol. 55, No. 35
Arab groups oppose nomination
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Mideast scholar Daniel Pipes will be making the rounds of the U.S. Senate in the next several weeks, drumming up support for his controversial nom-ination to the board of a government-funded think tank.
Pipes, an author and lecturer who has spoken out about the threat of Muslim fundamentalism, was nominated by the White House earlier this month to sit on the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a non-partisan think tank that promotes peaceful resolutions to international conflicts.
Pipes' nomination has been criticized by Arab groups and others, including the editorial board of the Washington Post, which said Pipes' nomination was like "salt in the wound" caused by government treatment of Arabs since the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
While Pipes is not speaking publicly about the controversy, sources fami-liar with the situation say he has contacted members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee about meeting with them on Capitol Hill next week, when they return from Easter recess.
Only one lawmaker, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), has come out in support of Pipes, but he is not on the HELP Committee.
The committee's ranking minority member, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), will speak next week at a banquet of the Arab American Institute, one of the strongest opponents of Pipes' nomination.
Little is known about when Pipes' nomination will be voted on, though it would need to be approved by the HELP Committee and then the full Senate.
There are rumors that lawmakers could place a hold on Pipes' nomination. If even one senator places an anonymous hold on the nomination, Pipes' appoint-ment may never come up for a vote.
Jewish groups are rallying behind Pipes. The American Jewish Com-mittee sent a letter to President Bush earlier this month, praising the appointment.
"You have selected an eminently qualified can-didate with broad know-ledge of the threats posed by extremist, anti-American interpretations of Islam," said the letter, signed by the organ-ization's president, Harold Tanner, and executive director, David Harris.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee supports the nomination and is "making sure the appropriate people know about it," spokeswoman Rebecca Dinar said.
Arab groups claim Pipes has "bigoted" views against Islam and that his ap-pointment would not be in keeping with the USIP's mission to promote peace.
"Throughout his career, Mr. Pipes has been a virulent critic of the Islamic faith and Muslims in general," wrote Jean AbiNader, AAI's managing director. "Indeed, his bigoted point of view does little but stir the already enflamed (sic) passions of people who are searching for a hero or a villain to either emulate or degrade. Mr. Pipes happily fills both roles.''
|
