Timothy Keefer, of the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, stated in a conference this month that building bridges between the government and the Muslim- and Arab-American communities is integral to the nation's security strategy. In particular, he said:

"We believe that people should be viewed as individuals, based on the content of their character, on what they do, not on their race or ethnicity or religious beliefs.... We are convinced that we cannot do an effective job in homeland security without actively, fully connecting with the Muslim-American and Arab-American communities here in our country."