May, 21 2021, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,Phone: 202-744-7726,E-Mail:,ihooper@cair.com
CAIR Calls on President Biden to 'Unequivocally Condemn' Israeli Police Again for Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, Jeopardizing Cease-Fire
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on President Biden to "unequivocally condemn" the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Masjid Al-Aqsa) compound - shooting rubber bullets and firing tear gas at worshipers and Palestinians holding a rally celebrating the recent cease-fire -- jeopardizing its continuation.
WASHINGTON
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on President Biden to "unequivocally condemn" the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Masjid Al-Aqsa) compound - shooting rubber bullets and firing tear gas at worshipers and Palestinians holding a rally celebrating the recent cease-fire -- jeopardizing its continuation.
SEE: Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, fire tear gas: Live
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
"President Biden must clearly and unequivocally condemn the latest Israeli storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, shooting rubber-coated bullets and firing tear gas at worshipers and those celebrating the hours old cease-fire.
"The White House must not hide behind bland statements calling for a de-escalation. If the fighting starts up again, it needs to be clear that Israel's attacks on Masjid Al-Aqsa are the triggering factor. We must all stop blaming the oppressed and occupied for the oppressor's violent actions.
"Masjid Al-Aqsa was the first prayer direction of early Muslims and remains the third holiest site in Islam - any Israeli government raid on the mosque is an act of religious suppression and a calculated provocation to end the ceasefire.
"Because America is responsible for Israel's war crimes in Gaza - with the U.S. government continuing to fund Israel, rearm its military, and justify its murder of Palestinian civilians - the American people have a moral obligation to prevent any further Israeli military threats to the Palestinian people."
Israel's bombing campaign of Gaza killed at least 243 Palestinian civilians, including 66 children, and destroyed 230 buildings, including 991 homes and businesses. An additional 678 housing units were damaged.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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One of South Korea's two highest courts on Tuesday began hearing Asia's first-ever youth-led climate lawsuit, which accuses the country's government of failing to protect citizens from the effects of the worsening, human-caused planetary emergency.
Nineteen members of the advocacy group Youth4ClimateAction filed a constitutional complaint in March 2020 accusing the South Korean government of violating their rights to life, the "pursuit of happiness," a "healthy and pleasant environment," and to "resist against human extinction."
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South Korea's Constitutional Court began hearing a case that accuses the government of having failed to protect 200 people, including dozens of young environmental activists and children, by not tackling climate change https://t.co/XRIGE23KGMÂ pic.twitter.com/snvqBaGGe9
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2024
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Proponents of the Rwanda plan will inevitably point to today's disaster as further evidence that strong measures are needed to address the issue of Channel crossings. They will accuse Labour and opposition parties of ignoring the human cost of letting this crisis continue and argue that lives are at stake if the government does not act.
[...]
The reality is that a substantial number of people who pay people traffickers large sums of money to crowd them on to a tiny boat do so because they feel they have no other option. Fleeing war and persecution, they are desperate. And so they are prepared to take desperate measures. Measures that sometimes lead to tragedy, but which are deemed necessary given the hopelessness of their situation.
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