By Judy Rotich
A leading Muslim American group is organizing a multi-faith peace vigil outside the White House in solidarity with victims of the recent Hamas atrocities in Israel. The American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) is partnering with diverse faith groups on to help inspire Americans of all backgrounds to come together in response to the massacre.
The vigil comes at a time when some prominent Muslims have shocked the mainstream public by trying to downplay the massacre as an understandable reaction caused by Israel. Others gone a step further, with one prominent Muslim leader in Australia hailing the attack as a “’a day of courage.”
The vigil, organized in conjunction with Sikhs of America and Muslims of America, will condemn all forms of terrorism in front of the White House, starting at 3pm EST.
“We cannot let extremists hijack defame the word of God in the name of hate and atrocity,” said Anila Ali, AMWEC’s President. Ali is also one of the most prominent Muslim signatories of the “Not In My Name” campaign by Muslims who condemn Hamas for rape, kidnapping, and murder of toddlers, women, and even elderly Holocaust survivors.
The campaign cites the Qur`an’s repeated expressions of admiration for Jews and Jewish scripture, including its citing the scripture’s quote that “whosoever killed a person… it shall be as if he had killed mankind.”
Ali noted that this was the worst antisemitic attack since the Holocaust – and that President Biden recently urged: “This is a moment for the United States to come together to grieve with those who are mourning.”
Vigil organizers note that victims of the attack include Muslims, and that Hamas violence has often targeted fellow Muslims. For example, in 2007, Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in a violent coup which cost 161 lives including 39 civilians and two United Nations personnel.
The campaign also points to a heinous false claim in the Hamas charter that the “Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews. When the Jew will hide behind stones and trees, the stones and trees will say, ‘O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'”
“This language is genocidal,” observed Ali. “We must stand instead for coexistence and peace.”
The current fighting has resulted in 1,300 people killed and 3,400 wounded in Israel, with over 150 abducted or missing. Inside the Gaza Strip over 1,500 have been killed and over 330,000 people internally displaced.
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