‘Muslim critique of Patriot Act legitimate’
WASHINGTON: The treatment of Muslims under the USA Patriot Act is similar to “the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II”, said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert T Bennett.
In a report on the ‘Muslim Vote 2004’ submitted on Saturday, Bennett said, “I think they (Muslims) have some legitimate concerns about the Patriot Act.”
“Apart from restriction of movement and concentration, it is like Japanese-Americans’ treatment in World War II. There’s no question that we have some profiling in place, and that disturbs people.” Bennett said he believed President Bush understood the problems created by the Patriot Act for Muslims and would correct them if he were elected to a second term.
“We got 78 percent of the American Islamic vote in 2000” because of our stance on family values and education, Bennett said.
Bush campaign spokesman Kevin Madden said he could only clarify Bennett’s comments by saying that the Patriot Act was a law-enforcement tool. app
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