White House counterterrorism official reaches out to U.S. Muslims on national security and civil liberties issues

John Brennan, assistant to the President for homeland security and counterterrorism, visited the Law School on February 13 for “A Dialogue on Our Nation’s Security.” The public forum was co-sponsored by the White House Office of Public Engagement, the Islamic Center at NYU, and the Islamic Law Students Association.

The event, part of an effort by the White House to reach out to the Muslim community, began with an address by Brennan, who has had a long government career centered in the Islamic world. After serving with the State Department in Saudi Arabia, Brennan became a Middle East specialist with the CIA, and has held a number of positions focused on terrorism. He told the Greenberg Lounge audience that Islam is “often misrepresented,” and that he considered it “a faith of peace and tolerance and great diversity.” At one point he briefly spoke in Arabic. Following his talk, Brennan took questions for more than an hour.

Video

Watch video of John Brennan's talk

Watch video of John Brennan's Q&A

Posted February 18, 2010