REPORT ON BOSNIA RALLY IN WASHINGTON DC ************
Abaidullah A Choudry
written it for the Message International Magazine.
HISTORIC MUSLIM RALLY
by Obeyd Ullah
Jersey City, NJ
e-mail:
cho...@andromeda.rutgers.edu
Two weeks before humanity assembles in the sacred land of Mecca
for the Hajj, the lawn on Capitol Hill in front of the Washington
Monument was transformed into a semblance of the plain of Arafat,
where Muslims of every nationality, every age, every gender come
together for the sake of Allah. Making history, tens of thousands
of Muslims gathered in Washington DC on May 15 to demand justice
for their brothers and sisters in Bosnia. The largest Muslim
demonstration ever in the US, police estimates put the crowd at
above 60 grand, while many participants approximated 100,000.
The rally was organized by the Bosnia Task Force, a coalition of
the major Islamic organizations and communities across North
America. This was the first time that virtually all Islamic
organizations, centers, communities and mosques on the East Coast
had come together in a single gathering. The Majlis As-Shura of
New York sent more than 45 buses, while Muslims from New Jersey
and Connecticut came in similar numbers. Muslims even came from
as far as California and Canada. Two planes also came carrying
Muslims from the Midwest. One could find Muslims at every rest
area on the major highways leading to Washington.
After gathering in front of the White House, the Muslims marched
down to Capitol Hill. The unending crowd shocked spectators and
participants alike, and the police seemed overwhelmed. At the
Capitol lawn, various speakers addressed the giant crowd.
While people shed tears and hung their heads in shame, sister
Suada Semra Charaf of Bosnian descent spoke passionately of the
inhuman atrocities being committed against the Muslim women by
the Serbs.
Imam Jamil Al-Amin spoke of the need for Muslims to prepare
themselves for everything. As a police helicopter ominously
circled overhead, he declared to the massive crowd, "We come here
today in peace, with banners and placards. But tomorrow we may
come in full armament."
Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens, flew in from the UK, and
addressed an eager audience. He castigated the Muslim governments
for their failure to fulfill their obligations towards the
Bosnian Muslims, since "it is the obligation of those who have
the power to stop the evil." Pointing to the Capitol building, he
asserted, "This is the Qiblah of the Muslim nations." He was
impressed by the crowd and expressed his appreciation and support
of the Muslims in America. "Make this the beginning of much more
activity by the Muslims in America," he urged.
In a symbolic gesture of unity, and perhaps for the first time
ever, a Shiah imam addressed a largely Sunni audience. Shaikh
Sahalani of the Al-Khoei foundation in Jamaica, NY declared that
the suffering in Bosnia hits each and every Muslim heart. Urging
unity, he asserted "We lost our power because we lost our unity.
Insha'allah we will regain our victory with unity."
Imam Siraj Wahhaj of Brooklyn read the "Declaration of Muslims in
America about the Muslims in Bosnia and Hercegovina," which,
among other things, demanded the arms embargo be lifted and
called for strategic air strikes on Serbian targets. The
declaration also called for Muslims to "organize themselves under
a unified, national leadership." An enthusiastic crowd approved
the resolution by a show of hands, and it was adopted by the
organizers, who ended the rally by declaring, "this is the
beginning."
As usual, the coverage in the mainstream media was minimal and
distorted. Most TV news reports in the tri-state area showed a
few clips, if any, lasting several seconds and announced the
crowd to be 15,000, while Eyewitness News (WABC) put the crowd at
three thousand in their 6 pm broadcast ! WINS (1010 AM) described
the crowd over the radio as "thousands of angry Bosnian Muslims."
The rally, despite its successes, also pointed to some
weaknesses. Muslims still have a long way to go. The crowd
overexceeded expectations, and the organizers were clearly
overwhelmed and had a hard time trying to control them. The
marching crowd was not very responsive to the call of the
leaders, and at Capitol lawn, thousands of Muslims sat down on
the sides despite calls by the organizers for all to sit on the
center lawn where they could be seen. When the Prayers started,
sisters prayed mixed with the men. Muslims clearly lack
discipline, and Muslim communities must begin training and
working to provide it.
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