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September 10, 2010

Peace Rallies and Interfaith Vigils Planned For Sept. 11 Anniversary
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And peace rallies and interfaith vigils are being held across the
country this weekend to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11
attacks and to condemn Islamaphobia. Here in New York, a coalition of
more than 100 civic, religious, civil liberties and civil rights
organizations will host a vigil tonight supporting religious freedom. On
Saturday the Emergency Mobilization Against Racism and Anti-Islamic
Bigotry will hold a rally near City Hall in New York just blocks from
the proposed site of a new Islamic cultural center. In Florida the
Gainesville Muslim Initiative is hosting an interfaith candlelight vigil
for peace. The Network of Spiritual Progressives, which is chaired by
Rabbi Michael Lerner, is calling on members to organize interfaith
public readings of the Koran. Here in New York, Hesham El-Meligy is a
member of the Building Bridges Coalition which is organizing a rally in
New York on Saturday.

Hesham El-Meligy: "I did not want to do anything on that day except have
a respectful solemn observation with the familes and other people of
concience in America and around the world. Unfortunately, I can not let
people with agendas to attack and marginalize the Muslim community have
an open platform without all of us people of concience standing up
together and upholding American values of respect, tolerance, unity,
freedom of religion. This is why we are coming on September 11 and doing
this. There is no other way except that we had to. Somebody had to stand
up for these American values."



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