Facets of the Muslim Vote

June 18, 2004

Source: Independent Press Association

http://www.indypressny.org/article.php3?ArticleID=1512

On June 18, 2004 Independent Press Association reported that in Jackson Heights, an area in Queens, recently experienced an unusual kind of protest. On June 13, using loudspeakers, Muslim devotees were called to Azan (call for prayer), and offered prayers in the busy street. It was a form of open protest against same-sex marriage and the continuous repression of Muslims in several countries, including Iraq, and in the United States. Eight devotees heeded the call to prayer and four volunteers came to protect the protesters from the crowd... After the protesters went back to the sidewalk, posters were left behind with pictures of the abuses of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, stating that it was impossible to control terrorism in the ways that are presently in use. Some posters read: 'Not democracy but Islamic rule is the desire of the people of Iraq,' while others questioned the Bush administration about the Israeli killing of Palestinians and $40 million daily in U.S. aid to Israel, while 34 million people in the United States go to sleep without food every night."