(ATLANTA, GA – 9/14/17) The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations this week called on Senator David Perdue and Senator Johnny Isakson to support Senate Resolution 250, which would condemn the Burmese government’s ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing against its Rohingya Muslim population.
In a Sep. 12th letter, CAIR Georgia and the Burmese Rohingya Community of Georgia, Inc. encouraged both of Georgia’s senators to join Senator John McCain in supporting the resolution. So far, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to bring the resolution to the Senate floor for a vote.
“We…hope that you will join Senator John McCain in co-sponsoring Senate Resolution 250, which would condemn the violence in Myanmar, encourage de facto Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi to do the same, demand that Myanmar allow an investigation by the United Nations, and demand that Myanmar grant citizenship to its Rohingya population,” the letter said.
The letter–which was signed by CAIR Georgia executive director Edward Ahmed Mitchell and Mr. Muhammad Ayub, executive director of the Burmese Rohingya Community of Georgia–also called on the senators to support Senate Amendment 607, which strike a proposed expansion of American military assistance to Myanmar from the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“Although the United States cannot and should not intervene in every global humanitarian crisis, our nation should not contribute to this crisis by expanding military-to-military cooperation with Burma’s government,” Mitchell and Ayub wrote.
Since then, Senator McCain has announced his intent to use his position as chairman of the Armed Services Committee to strike the proposed expansion of military cooperation from the NDAA.
“The world failed to intervene in Rwanda. The world failed to intervene in Srbrenica. The world still has a chance to act with decisive moral clarity in Myanmar,” the letter said.
If you live in Georgia, please call the office of Senator Johnny Isakson at 202-224-3643, as well as the office of Senator David Perdue at 202-224-3521, and ask them to join John McCain in condemning Burma’s violence by supporting Senate Resolution 250.
