United Coalition of national and local Syrian-American and Muslim-American organizations joined by Chicago family members of those Killed spoke at a press conference held at the CAIR-Chicago office, on August 27, to discuss steps to end the bloodshed in Syria.
CAIR-Chicago announced today that local and national Syrian and Muslim American leaders, joined by affected Chicago families who have lost loved ones, will be holding a press conference to discuss steps to end the bloodshed in Syria.
Reeling from one of the darkest tragedies in human history, an adage emerged after World War II: “Never Again!” And yet, only a few short decades later, and on the same continent that the Nazi Holocaust took place, Europe’s only indigenous Muslim community was subjected to systematic genocide as the world sat by idly and watched.
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“We’re living in a world now where there is no room for totalitarianism, dictatorships and oppression,” said Christina Abraham, civil rights director for the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Chicago. “When we see these movements happening, we need to support them. We don’t give leeway to governments that violate human rights, like the Assad government is doing right now.”
“We’re living in a world now where there is no room for totalitarianism, dictatorships and oppression,” said Christina Abraham, civil rights director for the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Chicago. “When we see these movements happening, we need to support them. We don’t give leeway to governments that violate human rights, like the Assad government is doing right now.”
Yaser Tabbara may live half a world away from Syria, where he grew up. But as the uprising there continues, the Chicago lawyer has mounted a one-man legal and diplomatic assault against the Syrian regime to highlight the brutality of its response and help depose President Bashar al-Assad.
This Sunday join thousands in downtown Chicago to rally in support of the Syrian people’s struggle for democracy and freedom.
Since demonstrations in Syria began in March, it is estimated that nearly 1,500 people have been killed, 2,000 wounded, 20,000 imprisoned, and close to 1,000 forced disappearances.
The Overdrive invited Christina Abraham and Yaser Tabbara to help give perspective on the President’s speech from the point of view of people who are invested in the rights of the Middle Eastern people and the policy positions of the U.S.
“The relevance of bin Laden should be overshadowed by the wave of pro-democracy movements in the Middle East,” said Yaser Tabbara, a Chicago attorney and member of the board of directors of the Council on American Islamic Relations. “Bin Laden was already marginalized, I’m someone who goes to the Middle East quite a bit and I haven’t heard his name in a very long time.”
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