N.C. Muslims Respond to Protests with Interfaith Event; Press Rlease

 
This is the press release by Muslims in Charlotte, NC

N.C. Muslims Respond to Protests with Interfaith Event; Extremist Group Plans Protests Outside Charlotte-area Mosques

7/9/03 3:10:00 PM

To: City and Assignment desks, Daybook Editor

News Advisory:

On Friday, July 11, Muslims, Christians and public officials in Charlotte, N.C., will gather for an interfaith dinner designed to promote tolerance among people of all faiths and to counter planned protests at local mosques by an extremist group.

WHEN: Friday, July 11, 7 p.m. (A news conference is scheduled for earlier in the day. Call the ICC number listed below for more information.)

WHERE: Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte, 7025 The Plaza Rd., Charlotte, N.C. (Within a block of the intersection with Harris Boulevard.)

CONTACT: Islamic Center of Charlotte (ICC) Spokesperson Mujahid Idlibi, 980-721-6625.

The dinner was prompted by police reports that the anti-abortion group Operation Save America (formerly Operation Rescue) plans demonstrations at area mosques during the week of July 12-20. SEE: http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/streets/nc/charlotte/NE2003/schedule.htm

An e-mail to Muslim community leaders from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department stated: "...much of (Operation Save America's) rhetoric is extremely inflammatory, and there is always the potential for individual members to carry their actions to an extreme."

An e-mail to Muslim community leaders from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department stated: "...much of (Operation Save America's) rhetoric is extremely inflammatory, and there is always the potential for individual members to carry their actions to an extreme."

"The goal of this interfaith event is to acknowledge and welcome the diversity present in Charlotte, and to forge positive relationships with members of the local community," said Zahid Tajik, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte (ISGC). The dinner is hosted by the ISGC and co-sponsored by the Masjid Ash-Shaheed, the Islamic Center of Charlotte and Muslim Women of the Carolinas.

"The Charlotte Muslim community shows great wisdom and forbearance in its positive response to such provocative intentions," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "We can only hope that mosque protest organizers, who do not represent true Christian values or the good people of North Carolina, respond with equal wisdom and peaceful actions."