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PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday, January 24, 2023
– End the Epidemic of Gun Violence in America –
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose mourn the deaths of eleven elderly Asian Americans, all above the age of 60, murdered on January 21 in cold blood in Monterey Park, Southern California, during a festive weekend of Lunar New Year celebrations. The assassin was a 72-year-old Asian American man who fatally shot himself as police closed in on him. It was the deadliest mass shooting since the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre in May 2022, when 19 children and two adults were killed.
We now learn that at least 7 people, all Chinese farm workers, have been killed on January 23 in yet another mass shooting in the idyllic and pastoral Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, about 50 miles from the Evergreen Islamic Center. The suspect, a 67-year-old Asian American and Half Moon Bay resident, was taken into custody after he was found in his vehicle in the parking lot of the Half Moon Bay substation.
What madness has seized us? The more critical question is: Will there ever be an end to this madness in our lifetime and the lifetime of our children?
There are more civilian-owned guns in America than there are Americans, about 400 million firearms for a population of 332 million. That’s 120.5 firearms per 100 residents.
Toothless regulations will not curb gun violence in America. We must enact laws that restrict access to guns by banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. One such law was enacted in the City of San Jose byimposing an annual fee on gun-owning residents and investing the revenues in violence prevention efforts. San Jose became the first city in the nation on January 1st to require gun owners to carry liability insurance to compensate victims harmed by a firearm’s negligent or reckless use.
Yet, no matter what preventive measures we take and what laws we pass, with human unpredictability always remaining an elusive unknown, gun violence will continue unless we drastically reduce, year by year, the number of civilian firearms.
We cannot give in to despair. We must build alliances with our fellow Americans to stop the epidemic of gun violence ripping our country apart by taking on the gun lobby, and the politicians in their pockets who take shelter under a horrific misinterpretation of the Second Amendment.
May God bless America and may God help us collectively banish the scourge of gun violence from America.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Wednesday, May 25, 2022
– A call for action to end the epidemic of gun violence in America –
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose are devastated by the deaths of 19 school children and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in rural Texas.
There is no end in sight to gun violence in America. The horrific killing at Uvalde happened only ten days after 10 people were shot and killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, NY. The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization, counted at least 123 such shootings so far this year alone, defined as one in which four or more people were killed or injured. Of these shootings, 10 involved four or more fatalities.
How can some of our elected officials continue to hide behind a distorted interpretation of the 2nd Amendment when our fellow Americans continue to lose their lives at the hands of gunmen with such gruesome frequency? Where is the morality in that?
It is time for Americans of all stripes and persuasions to demand of our elected officials that they enact stricter gun control laws throughout the land. We simply cannot and will not endure this constancy of gun violence. The future of our nation is at stake. The United States is rapidly becoming ungovernable because of our unwillingness to protect and care for our people, particularly our children, women, and minorities.
This is no time for despair. We must continue to build alliances with our fellow Americans to stop the epidemic of gun violence ripping our country apart. More guns in the hands of Americans mean more death: fewer guns, less death. The equation is as simple and stark as that.
We share the anguish of President Joe Biden who said of the violence at the Uvalde elementary school: “As a nation, we have to ask: When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? How many scores of little children, who witnessed what happened, see their friends die as if they’re in a battlefield, for God’s sake?”
We must answer the President’s question collectively as a nation so that the scourge of gun violence disappears from the United States of America once and for all.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Sunday, January 16, 2022
– We condemn the Act of Terror in a Texas Synagogue –
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose unequivocally condemn the terrorism unleashed at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas by a deranged and delusional gunman.
We express our utmost gratitude to God that all hostages were rescued and are safe and well. We express our solidarity with the Jewish community in Colleyville and throughout America following this terror attack.
As Americans, we uphold the Rule of Law. We have no tolerance for anyone or any group attacking our fellow Americans in places of worship, schools, malls, and elsewhere. No grievance or demand can justify violence against others.
There is an outbreak of hate and bigotry across America today. Our schools, public venues and places of worship are under assault by the intolerant and the conspiracy mongers. But we must not give up hope. We must continue to build alliances with our fellow Americans to stop the hate, the rage and the violence ripping our country apart, particularly during these trying times when we have lost almost a million Americans to a lethal virus.
We pledge to work with our fellow Americans and law-enforcement officials to ensure that people of all persuasions and colors are safe from lone-wolf terror or organized groups involved in terrorism. We are in complete agreement with President Joe Biden who said of the attack in the Texas synagogue: “… let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate — we will stand against antisemitism and against the rise of extremism in this country.”
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday, March 23, 2021
– Muslims Condemn mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado –
We members of Evergreen Islamic Center of San Jose, California, unequivocally condemn the killing of ten of our fellow-Americans, including a police officer, in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, 22nd March 2021, by a naturalized American who happens to be a Muslim. Islam and Muslims have nothing to do with such cold-blooded killings and killers. We ask law-enforcement officials to prosecute this person to the fullest extent of the law. Only last week another deranged psychopath took eight lives in Atlanta.
We pledge our full support to President Biden for his effort to push legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as strengthen background checks by closing loopholes that gun-crazy people exploit that so frequently lead to murder and mayhem in our country. Too often in the past, when presidents announced stricter gun-control measures in the wake of mass shootings, these measures fizzled and failed. We call upon President Biden to follow through with his promise of not waiting “another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps that will save lives in the future.”
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Friday, October 30, 2020
– Muslims Condemn Terrorism in France –
We members of Evergreen Islamic Center of San Jose, California, unequivocally condemn the slayings of a teacher in a classroom and three people in a church in France by individuals claiming to be Muslims. Islam and Muslims have nothing to do with these cold-blooded killers. These terrorists must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of French Law. At the same time, we ask French authorities not to conflate Islam and Muslims with terrorists. France is home to almost 6 million Muslims, the largest in Europe. French Muslims have condemned the savage attacks against their fellow-countrymen by fanatics. “Our religion is light-years away from this,” said a French Imam. “There is no way any Muslim would approve of this.” But the Imam was also fearful that the terrorists could provoke some far-right groups to resort to violence against French Muslims, which is exactly what the terrorists are looking for to divide the nation. May saner heads prevail and may the people of France unite to prevent terrorism in all its manifestations.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Sunday, June 28, 2020
– Muslims Shocked by Virulent Islamophobia of SJ Police Officers –
Bay Area Muslims are shocked and stunned by the revelation in the Sunday, June 28, edition of the Mercury News (https://www.mercurynews.com/
The revelation brought swift condemnations from SJ Police Chief Eddie Garcia who promised that officers engaging in racist acts will face decisive disciplinary actions. SJ Mayor Sam Liccardo called for a full investigation and demanded that any current officer who made racist, anti-Muslim or menacing comments be terminated. Recall that Nabil Haidar, a San Jose police officer since 1997, filed a lawsuit against SJPD in 2018, alleging “continuous harassment and discrimination based upon his race, national origin and religion.” “When somebody chips at your soul day in and day out, that’s torture,” Haidar said at the time he filed his lawsuit.
We are living in violent, turbulent times. “I can’t breathe” has become the anguished cry of Americans against unchecked police brutality. And now, in the ultra-liberal Bay Area, we are finding out that we are not that different from Minneapolis, Atlanta, Louisville or New York as we may have imagined. Our police force seems to operate with the same impunity as police officers elsewhere. A report in the Mercury News (https://www.mercurynews.com/
We are heartened by the promise of action against rogue and racist police officers by San Jose’s mayor and its police chief, as well as by statements of support for Muslims and other minorities by Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara County District Attorney, and Paul Kelly, president of the SJ Police Officers Association.
But we also believe that action speak louder than words. In light of the recent shocking and disturbing revelations, we expect our elected officials and law enforcement officers to resolve anew to serve all Bay Area residents, irrespective of race or religion, with that abiding sense of justice and empathy that have time and again made San Jose one of the most diverse, generous and welcoming cities in America.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Monday, June 1, 2020
– We Condemn Systemic Racism and Violence Against African-Americans –
A pandemic more lethal than Covid-19 is convulsing America now. It is the pandemic of racism. We have all been traumatized by the video of life seeping out of George Floyd in real time as a Minneapolis policeman pressed his knee on his neck and cuts off his air supply. “I can’t breathe,” Floyd pleaded in his dying moments. In response, the white police office casually put his hand in his pocket and kept the pressure on until George Floyd literally breathed his last.
African-Americans live in mortal fear of police and vigilantes in today’s America. Many of them rarely venture out at night, knowing that a single encounter with the police or with a white supremacist can have deadly consequences. That’s the tragic reality. In the recent past alone we have seen several African-Americans paying the ultimate price for no fault other than having the ‘wrong’ shade of skin. Ahmaud Arbery, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Sam Dubose, Philando Castile, Terence Crutcher, Eric Garner, Alton Sterling, Jamar Clark … the list goes on and on.
We members of Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) (https://www.eicsanjose.org) condemn racism of any kind, and urge law enforcement officials to exercise caution and restraint and deal justly with people of all races, particularly blacks, instead of looking down on some of us as less than human. If racism persists, life will seep out of America as surely as it did so tragically for George Floyd. We must work together, people of all faiths and no faith, until the cancer of racism is eliminated once and for all from our nation.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Friday, March 13, 2020
– The Coronavirus Pandemic Is a Test for All Living Entities –
To keep our fellow-Americans and our community safe from the deadly coronavirus pandemic, and following the recommendations of the County Public Health Department and CDC, the Board of Directors of Evergreen Islamic Center has decided to lock down its facility at 2486 Ruby Avenue in San Jose until further notice, effective March 12, 2020.
As we take preventive measures to ward off the dangers of the pandemic, we must never allow it to diminish our compassion for each other. Already there are reports of bigotry and racism directed at Asians, particularly Chinese-Americans, in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. This is unacceptable. If anything, the coronavirus crisis should reinforce the sense of our shared humanity. The Quran tells us that “It is God who created death and life to test you as to which of you are best in deed …” (67:2)
May we all emerge from the pandemic with our lives intact and our humanity enhanced. Ameen.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Sunday, April 21, 2019
– Condemning the killing of worshipers and others on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka –
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose unequivocally condemn the barbaric attack on Christian worshipers and others in three churches and three hotels in the island nation of Sri Lanka. That this attack took place on Easter Sunday only underscores the savagery of the terrorists whose coordinated suicide bombings destroyed 300 lives and injured 500. Terrorists only know how to hate and kill. We stand united with our fellow Americans of all faiths and persuasions to oppose terrorism of any kind and hope that those responsible for this crime against humanity in Sri Lanka will be swiftly brought to justice. May God give speedy recovery to the injured and healing to those who lost their loved ones. We pray for the eternal peace of those who lost their lives.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Thursday, 14 March, 2019
— We Stand United with Our Fellow-Americans Against Violence of Any Kind —
As horrifying details emerge from the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, we at the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, California, offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to all affected by this unspeakable act of violence. We don’t yet know the exact number of Muslims killed, although early reports suggest that dozens are dead. That this cold-blooded murder occurred when worshipers were offering their Friday congregational prayers makes this dark event that much more chilling. One of the gunmen was heard saying: “There wasn’t even time to aim, there were so many targets.”
It is the worst nightmare of Muslims everywhere, particularly in the West, to be attacked by extremists wielding heavy-duty weapons during the Friday congregational prayers. That’s when Muslims, young and old, women and men, gather in large numbers in their local mosques. What happened at Christchurch was premeditated murder. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern rightly called the shooting “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.”
We at the Evergreen Islamic Center stand with our fellow-Americans – Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and people of other faiths and no faith – against any act of violence that threatens the sanctity of human lives. At the same time, we will never let despair overcome hope even as we remain vigilant against extremists contemplating or carrying out random acts of carnage and cruelty in our midst.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Wednesday, 14 November, 2018
— Appeal for donation for the Victims of Camp Fire —
The deadliest fire in California’s history has destroyed homes and devastated lives to a degree that defies imagination. As of today, the death toll from Camp Fire has climbed to 48, and shows no sign of abating. Hundreds remain missing while survivors, made mute by immeasurable grief and loss, huddle in cold. Food and shelter remain scarce. The entire town of Paradise, with a population of 27,000 and just over 200 miles from our Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, has been gutted to the ground. It is particularly tragic because the town was filled with older people – median age 50 – and retirement communities who only wished to spend their remaining years in peace and tranquility.
At this urgent hour of need, we must reach out to our fellow Californians and do everything we can to bring succor to the survivors who have lost everything and who confront a terrifyingly bleak future. With Thanksgiving upon us, let us give thanks by coming to the aid of those in desperate need of the most basic amenities of life: food, water, warm clothes, blankets, toiletries. Remember, however, that sending money is almost always the most efficient way to help in a disaster.
Here are some links to reputable organizations to which we can make donations to reach those most in need:
https://www.launchgood.com/
https://www.gofundme.com/
https://www.calfund.org/
http://www.cafirefoundation.
http://www.caring-choices.org/
https://www.enloe.org/enloe-
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Saturday, October 27, 2018
— Condemning the Act of Terror in a Pittsburgh Synagogue —
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose are devastated by the terrorism unleashed at ‘The Tree of Life Congregation’ synagogue in Pittsburgh by a gunman that left at least eleven people dead and several wounded. We express our support and solidarity with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and throughout America following this deadly attack.
We agree with Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, the leader of the congregation, who wrote: “Despite continuous calls for sensible gun control and mental health care, our elected leaders in Washington knew that it would fade away in time. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the midterm elections, I fear that that the status quo will remain unchanged, and mass shootings will continue.”
There is a horrifying outbreak of hate and bigotry across America today. Our schools, public venues and places of worship are under assault by the intolerant and the violent. Yet we must not give up hope. We must continue to build alliances with majority Americans to stop the violence and the intolerance that are ripping our country apart. We pledge to work unceasingly with our fellow-Americans in ensuring that people of all persuasions and color are safe from acts of lone-wolf or organized groups involved in terrorism or bigotry. We also urge all registered voters to vote their conscience in the midterm elections on November 6, only a few days away.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Friday, 12 October, 2018
— Appeal for donation for the Victims of Hurricane Michael —
Hurricane Michael has devastated the Florida Panhandle when it made landfall on October 10, leaving thousands homeless and penniless, shutting down hospitals, polluting water supplies, destroying schools and institutions,
leaving in its wake a scene of such staggering destruction across six states as to defy the imagination.
Our hearts go out to the victims of Hurricane Michael. As members of the Evergreen Islamic Center of San Jose, California, we must reach out to our fellow-Americans in their hours of extreme need. Please donate whatever you
can to bring some relief to the hundreds of thousands whose lives have been turned upside down by this monster of a hurricane.
While we encourage you to make your donations to the most effective relief organizations working in Florida now, based on your own research, here are some links to help you make your donations quickly and urgently:
https://www.americares.org/en/
https://secure2.convio.net/
https://feedingthegulfcoast.
https://www.habitat.org/
https://www.savethechildren.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Thursday, February 15, 2018
— We cannot allow America’s schools to turn into killing fields —
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose are beyond horrified by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that has claimed the lives of 17 of our fellow-Americans, most of whom were students and teachers.
This is the 18th school shooting in 2018, with only 45 days into the New Year! Each year, more than 32,000 Americans are killed and 80,000 are injured by gunfire. More Americans have been killed by gun violence since 1968 than in all the wars the U.S. has fought, starting with the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
It is an affront to the dignity of the dead and to the family of the victims in Florida to issue lame ‘thoughts and prayers’ statements. If we cannot protect our school-going children from killers, we have surely descended from a ‘shining city upon a hill’ to a lawless jungle of anarchy and violence.
We cannot stand silently by while the carnage continues. We call upon all conscientious Americans to demand stricter regulation of gun ownership and purchasing rights, including military-style rifles and high-capacity magazines. It is our moral and constitutional obligation to run for office and vote only for candidates whose main goal is to stop gun violence in America once and for all.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Sunday, December 17, 2017
— Condemning the Killing of Christians Celebrating Christmas in a Church in Pakistan —
The sickening frequency with which we at EIC are putting out press releases condemning man’s inhumanity to man is becoming, well, sickening. Yet we must take a stand against terrorists whose only ‘religion’ is to kill and who have nothing but contempt for God and His creation.
When we learned this morning that two suicide bombers had attacked a pre-Christmas service in a church in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing nine worshipers and wounding more than 50, we were stunned into silence by the massacre of our Christian sisters and brothers. It breaks our heart to mourn people whose lives were snatched away with such cruelty and whose devastated families are left to grieve their unimaginable losses in this season of peace and goodwill.
The only thing we can do now is to pray from the heart for the victims and figure out some ways in the coming days of helping the grieving families cope with their losses. In this moment of moral and spiritual crisis around the world, we resolve anew to work with people of all creed and color to root out terrorism from the face of our ailing earth.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Monday, December 11, 2017
— Condemning the Act of Terror in New York Subway and Gratitude for Minimum Damage —
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose condemn the act of terror committed by a terrorist in New York’s Port Authority Subway. We stand in solidarity with what New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said: “The choice of New York is always for a reason, because we are beacons of the world. And we show that a society of many background and many faiths can work.” We are grateful to God that the damage, which could have been much higher, was limited to four non-life-threatening injuries. We pray for the quick recovery of the injured.
No grievance, real or imagined, can justify any act of terrorism. Terrorism is anti-humanity. It seeks to undermine the values on which America was founded, including freedom of religion, expression and press. We pledge to work with our fellow-Americans in ensuring that our country is safe from cruel and delusional terrorists.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Friday, November 24, 2017
— We condemn the barbaric attack in Egypt that took the lives of over 235 worshipers —
The barbaric attack in a mosque in Egypt’s Sinai Coast that took the lives of over 235 worshipers during the Friday congregational prayers leaves us with unspeakable outrage. How is such depravity and senseless cruelty even possible? These cold-blooded killers and cowards kill indiscriminately and only when their victims are at their most vulnerable. One day it is Christians, the next day it is Jews, and the day after it is Muslims. You either embrace the nihilism of these murderers or you become a target.
At Evergreen Islamic Center, we hope and pray that the killers are brought to swift justice. At the same time, this and similar horrific massacres here and around the world must force us to look inside our hearts and reflect on what we are doing, individually and collectively, to remove the suffering of people around us.
Right here in the middle of prosperous Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, the homeless count has reached 35,000, many of whom have become homeless simply because they could not afford to pay rent and buy food, even though they work in one capacity or another.
In this season of Thanksgiving, let us count our blessings of family, home, health, friendship, job, food, cars and other amenities of life while acting on our responsibilities toward those for whom, through no fault of theirs, a square meal a day and a roof above have tragically turned into distant dreams.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Sunday, November 5, 2017
— We must collectively work to banish the madness of gun culture in America —
Peaceful worshipers gathered at a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, this morning to sing the praise of the Creator when a homicidal gunman walked in and opened fire, killing at least 26 of our fellow-Americans and injuring at least 20 more. We are horrified by this cold-blooded massacre, and while we offer our thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims, we recognize how inadequate this gesture has become, and how ineffective. We join millions of our fellow-Americans in calling for a strict gun control policy to stop the senseless deaths of innocent Americans that keep occurring with sickening frequency in our country. The times demand a new interpretation of the Second Amendment. There is enough consensus to defeat the gun lobby and the cowardly lawmakers beholden to the NRA. Meanwhile we, members of the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, CA, urge Muslims in and around the San Antonio area in Texas to donate blood for the injured in the deadly shooting today and to bond in solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones. Amen.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday, October 31, 2017
— Unequivocal Condemnation of the Act of Terror in Manhattan —
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose unequivocally condemn the act of terror committed by a deranged and dangerous man in Lower Manhattan, NY, today. This man does not represent Islam and Muslim-Americans in any way. We call upon Americans of all faiths and persuasions not to give in to divisive rhetoric and stand united and resilient in the face of terror. We are all linked together by the common goal of keeping our country safe and secure from the malevolent and the violent.
Eight of our fellow-Americans (so far) have lost their lives in this brutal attack. We mourn them and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, knowing that no word can adequately express our sorrow.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Monday, October 2, 2017
— Devastated by the Mass Shooting in Las Vegas, We Call for a Stricter Gun-Control Policy —
We members of the Evergreen Islamic Center (EIC) of San Jose are devastated by the mass shooting in Las Vegas that took the lives of 58 (so far) of our fellow-Americans, with over 500 injured, many of whom are now fighting for their lives.
Gun violence is an issue that affects communities in every state across the country, and has taken the lives of too many promising innocent people. Each year, more than 32,000 people in America are killed and 80,000 are injured by gunfire. As politifact has pointed out, (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/opinion/mass-shooting-vegas.html) more Americans have been killed by gun violence since 1968 than in all the wars the U.S. has fought, starting with the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
Hardly a week passes without another instance of a mass shooting or street violence involving firearms that are only too easily available. We cannot let this deathly situation continue. We urge our political leadership to forego their differences and work together to put an end to the scourge of gun violence in America once and for all. God willing, and with the help of our fellow-Americans across the political spectrum, we hope to soon see a strict and sensible gun-control policy in our country.
Hasan Zillur Rahim (hasanzr@msn.com)
Outreach Director – Evergreen Islamic Center
PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday, September 5, 2017
— Stop the genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar —
Rohingya Muslims, considered the world’s most persecuted minority, have lived for centuries in Myanmar’s far western Rakhine state. Denied citizenship by the military junta since 1982, they have been stateless and without the most basic human rights, thus prey to indiscriminate rape, torture and killing by Myanmar’s militants and allied mobs.
In recent days, however, eyewitness accounts of mass rape, killing and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims have horrified the world. Families, including newborns, have been slaughtered and burned alive. Whole regions have been bombed and targeted for mass killings.
United Nations officials report that tens of thousands of Rohingya women, children and men are streaming into neighboring Bangladesh after trudging through treacherous ravines and jungles, many falling along the way.
We, members of the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, CA, call upon our elected officials and lawmakers, as well as all Americans of conscience, to demand that Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace-prize winner who is the de facto leader of Myanmar, stop the torture and killings of Rohingya Muslims. She has not said a word so far, a stance that has been denounced by many governments but unfortunately, not ours. Her silence has only emboldened Myanmar’s militants and security forces in their relentless, seemingly state-sanctioned genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
We further call upon our government to demand that the Myanmar government give Rohingya Muslims citizenship in a country where they have lived for centuries, and to accord them the same dignity, safety and security that the Buddhist majority enjoy. We also call upon our government to provide humanitarian aid to the refugees streaming into Bangladesh, and to sponsor and enforce a resolution in the UN Security Council to immediately stop the genocide of Rohingya Muslims.
Hasan Zillur Rahim
(hasanzr@msn.com)
Director of Media Outreach
Evergreen Islamic Center