Minority Groups Brace for Backlash in Case of War with Iraq

February 11, 2003

Source: Daily News

On February 11, 2003 the Daily News reported that "community and religious leaders in Brooklyn are praying for peace - but bracing for war... Hoping to prevent a possible backlash that a war in Iraq might incite against certain ethnic communities in the borough, city officials and activists gathered yesterday for a forum dubbed 'We Are All Brooklyn...' Leaders from Brooklyn's Jewish, Muslim, South Asian and African-American communities were joined by staffers from Mayor Bloomberg's office and the NYPD. The event was organized by the Council of Pakistani Organization and the Brooklyn Alliance... If war happens, Brooklyn's diverse groups must work with local officials to prevent bias attacks - as they did in the months after 9/11, said Moe Razvi, executive director of the Council of Pakistani Organization."