-—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—-
(WASHINGTON D.C., July 30, 2014) – The Islamic Circle of North America today announced that it is joining a march on the White House to protest against the ongoing massacre in Gaza.
In a press conference today at the National Press Club, ICNA President Naeem Baig stated that “the use of violence against civilians is never okay. It is unacceptable for a civilian population to be bombarded through air, sea and ground attacks.” He also said “the oppressed and the oppressor cannot be compared, Israel’s actions can in no way be defended.”
ICNA calls on all people of conscience to join this march against oppression and occupation.
Saturday, August 2
at the following locations and timings:
The White House (1600 Pennsylvania Ave.)
1:00 p.m.
Jacksonville, Fla.
11:00 a.m. at Memorial Park (1620 Riverside Avenue)
Albuquerque, N.M.
11:00 a.m. at Central & 1st St.
Los Angeles, Calif.
1:00 p.m. at Westwood federal building (11000 Wilshire Blvd.)
Use the hashtags: #2DC4Gaza #LetGazaLive #FreePalestine #Protest4Palestine to promote the demonstration on social media.
Visit http://www.answercoalition.org for more details.
Here is the full statement given at the the National Press Club in Washington D.C.:
In the past few weeks Israel has killed over 1200 people, many of whom are women and children, in Operation Protective Edge. This assault on the helpless civilians of Gaza is nothing but an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by the Israeli government.
Following the holocaust which took place in Europe against the Jewish community, writers, historians, speakers, film makers, and other scholars wrote and spoke passionately about the world’s failure to come to the Jewish people aide during the extermination campaign. They say the world stood by and watched what happened to them without doing very much to stop the Nazis’ deadly assault. Conversely, today much of the world is passively looking as Gaza and the West Bank explodes in agony, pain, death, and destruction. If it was wrong for the global community to turn a blind eye to the holocaust as it was unfolding, it is equally wrong for the global community to turn a blind eye to the death and destruction that’s taking place in Palestine. Moral equivalency should apply to all people, in all places, during all conditions. It cannot become the monopoly of a select group of people during a certain period of time.
The use of violence against civilians is never okay. It is unacceptable for a civilian population to be bombarded through air, sea and ground attacks.
The oppressed and the oppressor cannot be compared, Israel’s actions can in no way be defended. It is an affront to human rights.
The Obama Administration must demand that Israel end its ruthless assault against an occupied people who continuously undergo an illegal encroachment of their land. The use of soft language by the Obama Administration in addressing the human casualties of Palestinians is being seen by the rest of the world as an administration who is silently endorsing the massacre of a marginalized people. Our government claims Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, so we ask our government, when will you demand this “strongest ally” to observe and protect human rights, and stop the killing?
The following organizations are co-sponsoring the march:
– ANSWER Coalition
– American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
– Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
– American Muslim Alliance (AMA)
– Al-Awda: Palestine Right to Return Coalition
– Al-Awda: Palestine Right to Return Coalition – New York
– CODEPINK
– Muslim Legal Fund of America
– Palestinian American Women’s Association (PAWA)
– World Can’t Wait
– Partership for Civil Justice
– MAS Immigrant Justice Center
– UNAC – United National Antiwar Coalition
– Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
– House of Latin America (HOLA)
– SI Solidarity Iran
– Labor Fightback Network
– Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition, Cleveland Chapter
– Al Quds Committee
– Washington D.C. al-Quds Committee
– Veterans For Peace
– AF3IRM
– Methodist Federation for Social Action
– The National Muslim Council for Justice (NMCJ)
– Islamic Shura Council of Southern California
– Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel
– Free Palestine Movement International Solidarity Movement – Northern California
– Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality – Virginia
– The Phil Berrigan Institute for Nonviolence and Occupy the Dream, Reading, PA
– LA Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild
– The Green Party of New Jersey
– International Action Center
– Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
– Labor for Palestine
– New York City Labor Against the War
– Socialist Action
– Damayan Migrant Workers Association
– Palestinian American Council-Chicago (PAC)
– Malcolm X Center for Self Determination
– San Diego Coalition for Peace & Justice
– National Black United Front
– National Committee to Free the Cuban Five
– Existence is Resistance
– US Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI)
– KmB Pro-People Youth
