Human rights activists of all stripes took to the streets on Sunday afternoon, March 6th in a rally supporting the upcoming proposed congressional hearings in which Rep. Peter King (R-NY) will discuss the increased radicalization of American Muslims and the potential for an implementation of Sharia law in the United States.
Members of the Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam, the Liberty Alliance, the Coalition to Honor Ground Zero, Americans For a Safe Israel, Liberty Rocks, Blue Collar Corner, and Women United International gathered in the pouring rain near Times Square to make their voices heard. Rep. King is the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in Congress and has represented New York's 3rd congressional district since 1993. His district includes parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties in central Long Island.
According to their press release, the Liberty Alliance stated that their gathering comes as a "counter-protest in response to a rally being held by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, Imam Shamsi Ali and others in Times Square, entitled “Today I am a Muslim, too.” Couched in language of “interfaith dialogue,” Imam Rauf and his supporters attack decent Americans as “Islamophobic” for expressing their legitimate concerns about terrorism, Sharia law and jihad. The focus of their attack are Congressman Peter King’s upcoming Homeland Security Hearings."
The Kuwaiti born Imam Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan had spearheaded the building of the controversial mosque near Ground Zero in New York, which they dubbed as the "Park51" project.
Daisy Khan, the executive director of the American Society of Muslim Advancement (ASMA) said in a press release that her rally will be a forum for "Muslim and non-Muslim alike to stand together in solidarity, speaking out as a collective American voice. Concerned Americans will take a unified stance against a rising Islamophobia caused by anxiety, misinformation, and ignorance. Despite best efforts to engage and integrate into American society, certain leaders nonetheless, continue to see Muslims outside of the American family portrait. Rep. Peter King, for example, will hold congressional hearings addressing, “The Radicalization of Muslim Communities in America”, with testimony solely focusing on the Muslim community."
Beth Gilinsky of the Liberty Alliance spoke at the rally, saying, "as Americans are murdered here and abroad by Islamic radicals, Imam Rauf tries to turn the facts upside down, and blames the United States for Islamist violence and hatred. He says that "US policies were an accessory to the crime of 9/11." He claims that Muslims are targets of widespread discrimination, hate speech and physical attacks. Meanwhile, the imams are working overtime to make Sharia law look benign. Indeed, Imam Rauf claims that "the American political structure is already Sharia compliant."
Denouncing President Obama for being unable to speak the words of truth regarding the authentic nature of jihad and Islamic terror, Helen Freedman, executive director of Americans For a Safe Israel, said, "We are living in the most dangerous of times and as Americans we would have hoped for a president who had the courage and temerity to label the enemy as they are. Those who threaten our safety and welfare are radical Islamists living amongst us and those on foreign shores and we should have leadership that is not afraid to say just that."
She also criticized Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan who declared, "I am a Muslim" at a February 15th rally in Newark, New Jersey and called for instituting a twinning program between synagogues and mosques. Rabbi Schneier has aligned himself with the rally organized by Imam Rauf and Daisy Khan and was listed as one of their speakers. Moreover, he is reported to have labeled aspects of the upcoming congressional hearings as "un-American".
Tim Sumner, co-founder of the 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America said, "Liberty Alliance coalition members will condemn Rauf's efforts to falsely portray his efforts as a civil rights initiative. They will not derail King's hearings."
"Given that two New Jersey men just pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy charges related to their efforts last year to join a Somali terror group, Americans of all faiths clearly need protection from homegrown terrorism. Americans support the upcoming homeland security hearings," said Tim Brown of Liberty Rocks.
Dr. Marvin Belsky of the Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam said, "Those who support the efforts of Imam Rauf and Daisy Khan to help in the proliferation of sharia law can only be classified as "useful idiots" as Vladimir Lenin once said. The agenda of radical Islamists is clear, yet those who are indignant over "purported racial profiling" don't grasp the concept that these forces would use violence and terrorism against anyone who is not a Muslim, as they have done for centuries."
"There is an unholy alliance between the political left and the radical Islamists" continued Dr. Belsky. "Among those organizations and personalities aligning themselves with Imam Rauf are the most anti-Semitic and anti-Israel", he said
Simon Deng, a former Sudanese slave, speaking of the freedoms he enjoys in the United States, warned, "As a young boy I was sold into slavery to radical Islamists. I am so proud to now be an American and I exhort you all to hold on to our freedoms for dear life. "
