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Protestors Call for Peace as Bombs Fall on Afghanistan
By Dilshad D. Ali
NEW YORK, Oct 8 (IslamOnline) - While the United States and Britain were launching air strikes against al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, more than 1000 people, including a contingency of Muslims, took to the streets of lower Manhattan Sunday afternoon to protest the onset of war.
Speakers and demonstrators cried "New York, not in our name," denouncing U.S. President George W. Bush's decision to launch attacks on Afghanistan on behalf of New York and America's "need for justice".
Protestors gathered at Union Square in lower Manhattan, calling for opposition to a war against Afghanistan. A small group of Muslim students from Columbia University also participated in the event, which was organized by a coalition of groups.
Nearly everyone carried signs with a variety of anti-war and pro-Islamic slogans, including "Establish Peace Through Truth", "Islam, Arabs and Immigrants are not the Enemy" and "We want Justice, not Vengeance".
David Klein, a military veteran and spokesperson for Veterans for Peace, said by declaring war on Afghanistan, U.S.
President George W. Bush was making the same mistakes as produced during the Vietnam War. "I may not like the Taliban, but we can't force our government on them," he said. He praised Representative Barbara Lee (R-CA) for voting against military action, which prompted prolonged applause.
The protestors then marched up 6th Avenue through the heart of Manhattan, flanked by police vans and officers, to Times Square. They sang "Peace, Salaam, Shalom," while various onlookers shouted derogatory comments, calling the protestors "disgraceful".
Sana Fadel and Reem Elsobky, who marched near the end of the group, were singled out at times because they wore
hijab (Islamic head covering). One man yelled, "We'll send you to the Taliban … and they'll shoot you for not having a veil."
Fadel said she was disturbed by the "raw emotions" of people who called the protestors unpatriotic. "It's like they had no understanding of why we were marching, nor did they seem like they wanted to understand," she said.
But Elsobky said such comments are inevitable given the anger following the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.
"Unfortunately there will always be people who associate [the attacks] with Islam and pick on Muslims. But unless we participate in rallies like these and get our voices heard, nothing will change."
Elsobky, who marched with her two young daughters, said though the protest might not make any difference, "At least you can say what you feel."
Elsobky felt a special need to participate in the march with her daughters stemming from her personal experience with the attacks. Elsobky, who lives at the southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park City, was 300 yards away from the WTC when it was attacked. She and her husband frantically searched for their children, who were evacuated to undisclosed locations after their schools shut down.
"It was just horrible for those few hours when we were trying to find the kids," said Elsobky. "And afterwards, everyone said, 'Go home, go home.' And home was where the smoke was."
Her family, after being displaced for nearly two weeks, is now back in their apartment building. "But it's hard to go home every day," Elsobky said. "You have to push through crowds, and people are yelling and taking pictures of you."
Elsobky said she and her daughters have participated in rallies every week since the attacks. "Maybe we've gone to too many [rallies]," she said. "But I want my daughters to know that they don't have to be scared. And I want to show them that it's important to speak out for what you believe in."
After an hour of marching, the protestors reached Time Square, where three Nobel Peace Prize winners - Rigoberta Menchu Tum (Guatemala), Adolfo Perez Esquivel (Argentina) and Mairead Maguire (Ireland) - congratulated the demonstrators for realizing that justice for the attacks should not come at the price of war.
Fadel, who recently graduated from Columbia University, said though air strikes were already underway, it was still important to call for peace. "If [Muslims] don't get involved, it will be their loss," she said. "We need to help others understand the reasons behind why this happened and tell them that it doesn't represent what Islam teaches."
"Because [the United States] is a democracy, we have to take advantage of it," she added. "It's not like someone makes a decision in a vacuum. There are so many people out there who are for peace. And as Muslims, we have to be out there as well."
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