More than 1,000 rallied Friday night in Dearborn, Michigan against the anti-Islam movie that has sparked protests around the world.
Organized by Arab-American leaders, the rally was the third protest in metro Detroit over the movie, the biggest one yet. Another protest against the anti-Islam movie that insults Islam's prophet is set for Saturday in Canton.
"Say No to Hate-Mongering, Say No to Islamophobia,'' read a large banner at the rally in Dearborn's civic center, the Ford Performing Arts & Community Center. On the podium was a sign that read: "We (heart symbol) Prophet Muhammad."
Many came with their families to the rally, dressed in Islamic headscarves and robes. Speakers included Muslim leaders, Arab-American activists, a Unitarian minister, U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit), Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Richard Halloran, and civil rights leaders.
"United we stand, divided we fall," Donnell White, executive director of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, told the crowd. "We stand with you as our brothers and sisters" Judge Halloran spoke about his Irish Catholic roots, noting that his ethnic group often suffered discrimination decades ago after they arrived in the U.S. They "were not looked at positively," he said. And now, Muslims are facing bias that needs to be challenged, Halloran said.
"We need to speak out against discrimination against Islam," he said.
Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab-American News, told the crowd that the people who made the anti-Islam film "are not (true) Americans. They are against what America stands for."
Tarek Baydoun, an attorney from Dearborn, said "the growing tide of Islamophobia" is what prompted the rally. "It's relentless," Baydoun said of anti-Islam sentiment in the U.S.
Organized by Muslim leaders of South Asian descent, the rally today in Canton starts at 5 p.m. at Canton Library. Protesters plan to walk to Heritage Park, where there is to be a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. Detroit Free Press
FACTS & FIGURES
The recent American anti-Islam film was shot on a Hollywood set, according to reports. The film was partially shot on a set that Paramount's TV unit helped to build for its TV show JAG. Hollywood Reporter
The production of the film which insults Muslims and the Prophet Mohammed has sparked angry protests in Muslim nations. Demonstrators attacked U.S. embassies in several countries during protests in past days.
The clip sparked a torrent of anti-American unrest in Egypt, Libya and many other Muslim countries over the past two weeks. The violence coincided with an attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. Reuters
The California man behind the anti-Islam film that stoked violent protests across the Muslim world was being held at a federal high-rise jail in downtown Los Angeles on Friday over possible probation violations. Reuters
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who has kept out of the public eye for much of the past two weeks amid outrage over the film, was arrested and ordered jailed on Thursday over accusations he violated the terms of his 2011 release from prison on a bank fraud conviction. Reuters
All this proves is the existence of ignorant arseholes worldwide.
As often mentioned, If there is a God he must really love arseholes, he made lots of them, with all these reports coming out, it certainly proves this.
I haven't been around lately since I have some other pressing responsibilities but here is my take. As much as the film may be insensetive to Muslims and as much as Muslims may have the right to object to it, all these protests only prove one more time that Muslims are not true to themselves and others recognize that and so they don't see a need to be respectful to Muslims. It is difficult to excuse those Muslims for being angry over this film when they are completely silent when Muslims are doing all their wutlissness.How can insulting the prophet be worse than Muslims killing others including their own. Where are the protests over what is going on in Syria? We criticized the double standard of the US government but we ignore our own double standards. That is contrary to the teachings of the Qur'an we so vehemently claim to follow.
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