A seminar promoted by the House media, to be held Friday in the House chamber and billed as open to the public, is now closed to the head of an Islamic advocacy group.
The action comes after Adam Soltani, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Oklahoma chapter, criticized some of the seminar speakers as anti-Muslim and for holding Islamophobic views.
In a Monday press release issued by the House Communications Office, the seminar, dubbed “Iran, Hezbollah and the Drug Cartels: Counterterrorism Considerations,” is promoted as “open to the public and law enforcement.”
“As we advertised, the law enforcement seminar is open to members of the law enforcement community and invited members of the public,” Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, said in an email to Soltani. “As you are neither, we must respectfully deny your request to attend.”
Bennett is chairman of the Counterterrorism Caucus, which is sponsoring the seminar for which Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training credit is given.
Bennett said the seminar ‘s purpose is to educate law enforcement officers regarding how to protect residents. It is not a minority-rights issue, he said.
“When it appeared that we would have additional open seats, we opened the event up to invited members of the public,” Bennett said. “Contrary to erroneous information, this has never been an event that was open to the general public. Registration is now closed, and all spots are filled.”
House Speaker T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, said he had little knowledge of the issue.
“It is his meeting,” Shannon said of Bennett. “I don’t usually follow who members invite and disinvite. He has the authority to invite who he wants to his meetings for sure. I have no knowledge about who he invited or didn’t invite.”
The Oklahoma Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations was expected to hold a press conference following the seminar.