May 2005

http://alawda.newjerseysolidarity.org

Demonstration for Al-Aqsa and the Right to Return

"Defend Al-Aqsa and Remember Al-Nakba!" The cry was heard loudly and clearly at the "Israeli" consulate in New York City on Friday, May 6, where many local mosques and associations, working with the Arab Muslim American Federation, called a protest to draw attention to the plans of certain Zionists to attack the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. While highlighting particularly the threats of these "extremist" Zionists, speakers drew attention to the fact that this was the latest manifestation of the broader Zionist goal to attempt to destroy and uproot Palestinian existence in all of its forms - religious, cultural and political - from the land of Palestine, and could not be separated from the ongoing Zionist project. Held, as it was, one week before the anniversary of Al-Nakba, the demonstration drew clear connections between the threats to Al-Aqsa and the process of ethnic cleansing and colonization in Palestine, calling for protection for holy sites and the right to return for all Palestinian refugees.

Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation presented a spirited khutbah before Friday prayers, focusing on the importance of standing for justice in Palestine, even in the face of fear and repression. Bray, who came to the demonstration from Washington, DC, called on the demonstrators to speak and act for Palestine as an imperative human cause. Following prayers, speakers from local mosques, the Arab Muslim American Federation, the Neturei Karta, the International Action Center, the National Council of Arab Americans, the Troops Out Now Coalition, Al-Awda and New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine urged demonstrators to continue their activism, saying that the demonstration illustrated the continuing refusal of the Palestinian Arab people to concede in the face of massive military might and repression, and the continuing steadfastness and resistance of the people, in their land, identity, and culture.

Many attended the demonstration waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs emphasizing the importance of the right to return and leading spirited chants calling for the liberation of all of Palestine.