Suburban Muslims Join In Today's Rally In Springfield

April 22, 2010

Author: Madhu Krishnamurthy

Source: Daily Herald

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=375283

Mir Hashmi wants to give children attending Illinois public schools the option of learning the Arabic language to better understand the Muslim community around them.

Arabic is the unifying language of people belonging to the Islamic faith, said the Des Plaines resident this morning before embarking on a journey to Springfield for the second Muslim Action Day.

About 1,200 Muslims from Chicago and area suburbs are expected to converge on the state capital today (Thursday) to demonstrate their civic involvement and lobby for issues relevant to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Among their key messages is a call to include strategic languages, such as Arabic, Hindi and Urdu, into public school curriculums. They also are pushing for funding to provide equal access to health care and healthy foods for poor families, foreclosure mediation, and community-based English and citizenship classes for immigrants.