“Even before this new [Trump] administration took over, there was a long history by supporters of Israel to equate criticism of Israeli policies with anti-Semitism. That’s unfortunate and wrong-headed, because many Palestinian speakers have been silenced,” said Bender, who heads the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Philadelphia.
In the days since Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States of America on January 20, I have often felt I was living through a nightmare from which, any day now, I would awaken from and return to “normal” life. No such luck, as each day brought new outrages from the Trump Administration, new “alternative facts” with which to bully the opposition, particularly the press.
Jacob Bender, our Executive Director, and Ryan Houldin, our Staff Attorney, were interviewed on CH 2/PMCM-TV in a segment about hate crimes. (Video)
Mayor Jim Kenney joined a midday prayer service, Jummah, at the Muslim American Society Mosque in North Philadelphia on Friday morning. Speaking before the prayer, Kenney and other local officials praised the mosque for its volunteer work and promised to defend the congregants against Islamophobia.
It is easy to get depressed these days, and become weary at the thought of four more years under this Administration, as we struggle to defend all the social justice progress of the past century.
Yet I remain an optimist. I am filled with hope at the presence of our courageous Mayor and other elected officials here among us; I am filled with hope at the sight of thousands of our fellow Americans streaming into airports across the country to defy the bigoted Executive Order of the President; and I am filled hope because of the warm welcome that I, a Jew, have received from all quarters of the Philadelphia Muslim community since coming to work for CAIR three years ago.
The mayor — a longtime defender of the Muslim community — pointed at more than 100 Muslims who gathered for afternoon prayers and told them: “You are America. Hopefully, a generation from now this will be a bad memory… I am telling you: We will get through this.”
The past few days have been a nightmare for those of us who believe in the fundamental values of this country: inclusivity, tolerance, and religious freedom. CAIR-Philadelphia, together with CAIR chapters around the country, has been working day and night to defend the American Muslim community against the actions of the new administration in Washington which, of course, follow from the most hateful and divisive presidential campaign rhetoric in living memory.
Jacob Bender was interviewed by Barbara Grant on 900AM-WURD (Talking Drumline) about CAIR's actions and the Muslim community's response to recent executive orders by President Trump.
Date: January 29, 2017 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Philadelphia International Airport (map) Visit the Facebook event page for latest updates. Less than 24 hours after Holocaust Remembrance Day, U.S. border officials at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) have begun implementing Donald…
