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Pro-Palestinian Demonstration At Congressional Leader's Office
by Ayub Khan
CHICAGO, May 27 (IslamOnline) - Batavia, a quiet western suburb of Chicago, was the site of a pro-Palestinian demonstration Saturday.
Around 400 people, many of them children and women, gathered in front of the offices of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, calling on the U.S. to end military aid to Israel, and urging it to pressure Israel to stop the usage of American weapons against Palestinians.
Braving a heavy downpour and unseasonably chilly conditions, the protestors chanted, "End the occupation now," "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!" and "Money for education, not for occupation."
The rain did not dampen the protestors spirits, who arrived in six buses and enthusiastically demonstrated for three hours. They also marched a block to a main street intersection in Batavia to highlight the plight of Palestinians.
Sabri Samirah, president of the United Muslim Americans Association (UMAA), speaking to the protestors, said that over 3000 Palestinians homes have been destroyed, and that while American schools were facing a pressing monetary crunch, five billion dollars is paid yearly to Israel.
This amounts to roughly $15,000 for each Israeli citizen per year, he said. American tax dollars are being used to kill children and infants, including four-month-old baby Iman Hijo, he said.
Samirah asked the U.S. Congress, and especially Speaker Hastert, to end the biased U.S. policy towards Israel, and called upon him to support the Palestinians.
Hastert's office, located on River Street in Batavia, was closed for the weekend.
But Samirah said that he already talked to Hastert's assistant who promised that the Speaker would take the matter into serious condition. Samirah said he also plans to organize a demonstration on a weekday in the near future, when the offices are open.
Many passing motorists stopped by to inquire about the demonstration. Reporters from the local press, including the largest suburban newspaper, The Daily Herald, also covered the demonstration.
At the end of the demonstration, the protestors dispersed peacefully.
Samirah said the protest was a landmark event for Illinois Muslims, who, for the first time, came to the offices of local politicians, as compared to demonstrating outside the Israeli consulate in the past.
Samirah said he plans to meet with Illinois congressmen and senators, including Cong. Mark Kirk, Cong. Louis Gutierez , Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Patrick Fitzgerald and others, to brief them on the Palestinian situation.
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