Protestors burn U.S., Israeli flags, symbol of terrorism according to one demonstrator

By Dina Rashed, IOL U.S. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, January 18 (IslamOnline) - From representatives of Labor Unions, to inter-religious groups, from Latino to Pilipino, from Arabs to Koreans groups and representatives, activists and community leaders poured to the Washington D.C. and addressed the close to a half a million demonstrator who gathered on a bitterly cold Saturday, January 18, morning in protest of a possible war against Iraq.

As the protestors filled the long mall they listened to speeches and slogans that could not emphasis enough the evils of war morally.

Individuals as much as organization representatives who are concerned with the unjustified campaign led the Bush administration came to be part of the growing anti-war movement in the U.S. and world wide.

Brian Becker, ANSWER International action center co-director and one of the main organizers of the event said U.N. Resolution 1441, which requires Iraq to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction, is just a diplomatic fig leaf to serve for this administration and as a trigger to war.

Self determination, not American domination

Demonstrations were also held in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, and several other countries

“This is not a war of peace, this is not a war to disarm anyone, if you want to disarm the world you don’t have to go to Baghdad.. go to the Pentagon. If you want to free the people don’t go to Baghdad… go to New York where there is almost 5 million people who go to the food pantries for food everyday.

We are calling for self determination and not American domination,” he said.

Among the speakers was the famous Vietnam Veteran Ron Kovic, author of the novel Born on the Fourth of July, that was later made into a big Hollywood movie production, he said that such movements can prevent war just as the movements in the sixties helped end the war in Vietnam.

"You will be a part of an extraordinary moment in this country's history," Kovic said.

From chants of “Allah Akbar” , "No blood for oil! No blood for oil!" and “We want peace now” to songs like “People have the Power” performed by Patti Smith, and a poem discussing Iraq, Palestine, Israel and weapons of mass destruction  by Ghazi Khankan from the Council on American –Islamic Relations the masses made their voices heard.

Earlier in the program Oscar-winner actress Jessica Lang expressed her opposition to the war on Iraq not just as a celebrity but as an American mother.

“All this talk of war and the rhetoric was just a camouflage to turn the clock to go back on our civil rights,” She said and expressed her skepticism that Bush’s push towards a military confrontation with Iraq is becoming to be more of a vendetta issue as he is seeking to finish the father’s job, referring to the confrontation between Bush the father and Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s.

Congressman John Conyers, Rep D-Michigan said that contrary to how the Bush administration effort to condemn the anti-war efforts as unpatriotic, he believed that it is out of patriotism that the American people speak against war and added that only American citizens can stop this war now.

 “We the American people must act before it is too late,” Conyers said.

Mass distraction

"I hope that President Bush, who is acting like a cowboy, will recognize that an era of western films is over," one demonstrator said.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, President of the Rainbow/ Push coalition, and leaders of the African American and civil rights movement expressed a need to celebrate Martin Luther King day through fighting all forms of racism, militarism, sexism, anti-Semitism and what he called Arab-bashism.

Mahdi Bray, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation Executive director and an active leader in the African American Muslim community said that the need to celebrate this day is through calling to eliminate weapons of mass destruction not from Iraq but from all planet earth.

Several speakers also drew on the connection between president Bush and multi-million corporations especially those facing corruption scandals and financial investigations, saying that President’s campaign is not about weapons of mass destruction but rather a campaign of mass distraction from the real issues more important and vital to the lives of American people.

Damu Smith, of Black Voices for Peace called Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld the other axis of evil because they ask Americans to wage an unnecessary war, while not attending enough to real issues of economy, taxes and welfare.

The close of four-hour rally ended as demonstrators left the National lawn heading the Washington Navy Yard, a military installation in Southeast Washington.

Similar protest is also taking place in San Francisco, where at least 50,000 protestors are expected to turn out for the event.