4/6/18: Imam Elahi's text of condemning Islamophobia, racism, hate-mongering and marginalization of the contributing communities in Wednesday's Press Conference at IHW
Imam Elahi's text of condemning Islamophobia, racism, hate-mongering and marginalization of the contributing communities in Wednesday's Press Conference at IHW!
"First, I would like to thank our interfaith friends, members of clergy from both Muslims and Christians, community activists and off course the media representatives for attending this press conference.
We are here today to react and respond to some shocking fear-mongering fliers calling April 3rd as a day of violence against the Muslims. This harassing outreach started from Britain but soon spread over the social networks all over our global village.
The flier provides a list of points for anyone who may verbally or physically abuse a Muslim. From physical beating, acid attack, killing innocent Muslims or bombing and burning the mosques.
Though violence against Muslims is not limited to one day a year, yet choosing April 3rd is an amazing coincidence. Tomorrow April 4th marks the 50th anniversary of assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. A voice of freedom, truth and justice. Rev. King sacrificed his life to end racism, segregation, hatred and hypocrisy.
Punish a Muslim day on the eve of assassination of Dr. King demonstrates the desire of forces of evil to continue their ignorance, intimidation and injustice against the minorities and marginalized communities.
We the members of interfaith gather here at the Islamic House of Wisdom to condemn this cowardly campaign. A campaign of fear, pain and persecution of the innocent.
In 2014 we all stood in front of Dearborn City Hall and raised our voice against isis.
We said Muslims were against Isis, against terrorism against extremism. Today we are meeting hare at the House of God to say we Muslims and Christians are against hate-mongering, fear-mongering, harassment, racism, violence, brutality, mass shooting, marginalization and bullying behaviors.
We stand for education, for unity, interfaith dialogue, peace and justice, love and friendship, respect for faith values and American true values.
We stand for the same values that Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad stood for!
One God, one universe, one humanity. We are all children of Adam and Eve, our honor and integrity not based on our color but consciousness and our compassion toward creation.
Those great messengers called for hope not hate, reason not rifle, faith not force, and compassi
on not killing.
They told us that destruction of one innocent person is equal to the destruction of the entire people.
From the black man called Steve Clark who was killed in CA to 18 Palestinians who were killed and another 1500 who were wounded in Gaza by the Israeli army. All of them were innocent and killing them was a crime.
Black lives matter, white lives matter, Yemenis lives matter, Afghani lives matter, Syrian lives matter, Iraqi lives matter, Bahrani lives matter. Human life matters.
No innocent person should be punished, being Muslim or non-Muslim, black or white.
We are here today not just to defend the Muslims but every victim, every oppressed community.
We are here today to call for justice, for the end of racism, for accountability of the White House and the Congress and every man and woman in this country and the world.
We are here to say shame on those behind Islamophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and injustice.
We call on the soul of Rev. Marti
n Luther King exactly 50 years after his martyrdom and promise him that we will never let your blood which was injected to the body of freedom and justice ever dries.
We will continue your covenant and the covenant of other martyrs of freedom and justice till we are alive. The racism, oppression and injustice will not last forever.