On February 15, 2007, HOUSE RESOLUTION 64 passed the House Committee on Foreign Affairs without opposition. The resolution, introduced by Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Nita Lowey (D-NY), calls on the government of Bangladesh to drop all charges against Bangladeshi Journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury charged with sedition for writing pro-Israel reports. The penalty for conviction could be death. With wide bi-partisan support, we expect a strong vote in favor of it when it reaches the House floor.

As many of you know, it took a heroic professional and grassroots effort by many people to get the additional co-sponsors needed for it to come before the Committee at this time. Thanks to everyone who wrote Committee Members, put out calls for help, and otherwise supported the Resolution! When Shoaib needed your help, you were there for him. Thanks, too, to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and to the US State Department for their support. We now need a strong vote in favor of the Resolution that sends an unambiguous message about this case to the government of Bangladesh.

Please urge your Congressional representative to support House Resolution 64, introduced by Representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) and passed by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. If you go to http://www.InterfaithStrength.com, you will see a link for making contact on your own as well as one to the AJC web site where it can be done in a few clicks. As we saw, calls and faxes are most effective, but emails help, too.

And personal thanks from Shoaib and me.

Dr. Richard L. Benkin
http://www.InterfaithStrength.com
Special Advisor to The Intelligence Summit on Bangladeshi Affairs