Civil Rights Commissioner Under Fire for Comments on Arabs

New York Times ^ | 7/23/02 | LYNETTE CLEMETSON

[kattracks]

ASHINGTON, July 22 — Leaders of some Arab-American and civil rights group called for the removal today of a conservative member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights after he made comments that the groups say suggested tolerance for interning Arab-Americans in the effort against terrorism.

In response to testimony on reports of widespread civil rights violations against Arab-Americans, Peter N. Kirsanow, a recent appointee to the panel, said, "If there's another terrorist attack, and if it's from a certain ethnic community or certain ethnicities that the terrorists are from, you can forget civil rights in this country."

Referring to a case from 1944, Korematsu v. United States, in which the Supreme Court upheld the right to intern Japanese-Americans in the interest of national security, Mr. Kirsanow ended his comments saying, "I think we will have a return to Korematsu, and I think the best way we can thwart that is to make sure that there is a balance between protecting civil rights, but also protecting safety at the same time."

Mr. Kirsanow, who began by saying he believed in the vigilant protection of civil rights in times of war, said his comments were meant to acknowledge, not condone, possible sentiment after another terrorist attack.

"I am unalterably opposed to even the idea of internment camps," Mr. Kirsanow said in response to the call for his ouster from the eight-member commission that investigates discrimination cases. "The whole premise was to make clear that these attitudes must be roundly condemned and to state that the war on terrorism and the protection of civil rights are not mutually exclusive."

The controversy heated up over the weekend when The Detroit Free Press printed additional comments by Mr. Kirsanow. When a reporter pressed Mr. Kirsanow to clarify his stand, he reportedly responded, "Not too many people will be crying in their beer if there are more detentions, more stops, more profiling."

Imad Hamad, the Midwest regional director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who attended the hearing, said he had been receiving calls from Arab-Americans since the comments.

"For someone in his position to even entertain the idea of detention camps," Mr. Hamad said, "it is like he is making it an acceptable debate."

Wade Henderson, the executive director of the Leadership Commission on Civil Rights, a coalition of liberal civil rights organizations, religious groups and unions who was a co-signer of a letter to President Bush today that called for Mr. Kirsanow's ouster, said his comments were "reckless and inflammatory."

A spokesman for the White House said that Mr. Bush was "convinced of Mr. Kirsanow's commitment to ensuring the protection of all Americans' civil rights" and that Mr. Bush would not remove him.

Mr. Kirsanow suggested that enemies might be leading the protest. In May, Mr. Kirsanow, a labor lawyer and chairman of the Center for New Black Leadership, joined the eight-member review panel after months of objections by liberal members.

[BCrago66]

Korematsu was never overruled.

[RJayneJ]

The new quote. };^D)

Quote of the Day by RAT Patrol

[goldstategop]

Peter Kirsanow offended the Gods of Political Correctness. I'm liking him more and more. Racial profiling, surveillance of mosques in which there is overthrow America preaching, rounding up and sending Islamist terrorists to detention camps, yeah I'm sold! Kirsanow knows who the enemy is; its time the rest of America came to the same understanding as well.

[swheats]

"For someone in his position to even entertain the idea of detention camps," Mr. Hamad said, "it is like he is making it an acceptable debate."

If there's going to be debate, you bet this is where it starts. Not on the networks.

[RJayneJ]

Can Mary Francis Berry be fired? It appears to me that she has declared war, and is going to do whatever it takes to get that guy off of the commission.

[truth_seeker]

If you want to read the Supreme Court ruling, go to:

http://www.tourolaw.edu/patch/Korematsu/

It could easily be applied to certain citizens and non-citizens, with no stretching at all. IMO we currently lack the political courage, and therefore we also lack the basic instinct of self-survival. Another major attack incident might change that, as the commissioner suggests.

I am entirely in support of suspension of habeas corpus, for I believe that a non-governmental faction HAS declared war on our country. Anybody suspected of complicity, including financial support, should wait out the battles, in custody.

[Prodigal Son]

Interesting. If they can't keep him from getting appointed to the board they'll try to get him thrown off.

[white trash redneck]

What he did was childish. Nothing more. There's a war going on, and people don't act entirely rational. For this agent to receive anything more than an admonishment from his supervisor not to do this again would be a travesty of justice.

[dread78645]

What he did was childish. Nothing more. ... For this agent to receive anything more than an admonishment from his supervisor

Uhmm, Peter N. Kirsanow is a Civil Rights Commissioner, hardly an "agent".

His supervisor is the President of the US, who appointed him for a term of 6 years on good behavior.

Mr. Kirsanow said nothing childish --he pointed out that tolerance for the Arab-Islam community will evaporate if there is another attack.
If Imad Hamad of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee wants to dispute that, than Mr. Hamad is living in some alternate fantasy.

[white trash redneck]

My bad. I was thinking about the FBI agent who got into the soup up in Detroit after writing some anti-Muslime epithets on a suspect's calendar.