Staten Islanders were among interfaith leaders who gathered yesterday at City Hall in Manhattan, as 100 imams condemned terrorism and anti-Islamic sentiment and called for the end of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The imams endorsed an “Antiwar & Anti-Islamophobia” rally planned for April 9 at Union Square in Manhattan.
The United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) is organizing the rally, which is endorsed by more than 500 peace, justice, labor, civic, religious and civil liberties organizations and leaders. Another UNAC antiwar rally will be held the following day in San Francisco.
Hesham El-Meligy, an interfaith community leader from New Springville and a member of Noor Al-Islam Society, Mariners Harbor, and Eileen Bardel and Bill Johnson, both of Peace Action of Staten Island, were among Staten Islanders who attended the news conference.
Muslims are joining the peace movement “because wars of aggression are immoral and drain our national resources, which are already under tremendous strain,” said Dr. Shaik Ubaid, the New York state co-chair of Muslim Peace Coalition USA, a sponsor of the news conference.
He thanked the millions of Americans, including Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, “for speaking out against anti-Muslim fear-mongering.”