U.S. MUSLIMS CALL FOR 9/11/02 "DAY OF UNITY AND
PRAYER"
All faiths urged to open houses of worship for interfaith
activities
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/23/02) - A national American Muslim
political council
today announced a "National Day of Unity and Prayer"
designed to coincide
with the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks
on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon.
The American Muslim
Political Coordination Council (AMPCC), made up of the
nation's four most
prominent Muslim political advocacy groups,* called on
all faith communities
to participate in the national observance by opening
houses of worship on
September 11, 2002, for interfaith visits, prayers,
congregational exchanges,
and other activities intended to foster national
unity and religious
tolerance.
A web site will be established to allow local mosques,
churches,
synagogues, and other religious institutions to register
their
participation in the national event.
A joint AMPCC statement
read in part: "It is imperative that all Americans
come together on the first
anniversary of the terrorist attacks to show
that we are united as a nation
and to reject efforts by any parties,
whether overseas or within our borders,
to divide the United States along
religious or ethnic lines. The Muslim
community is part of this country,
and we join our fellow citizens in
mourning those who were killed or
injured on that fateful day."
AMPCC
member groups will help coordinate the American Muslim
community's
participation in the National Day of Unity and Prayer. As part of
the AMPCC
campaign, a step-by-step guide to holding local mosque open houses
will be
distributed to Islamic centers nationwide.
Other religious
organizations, such as the National Council of Churches,
are organizing
similar observances.
SEE: http://www.ncccusa.org/interfaith/openhouse-intro.html
American
Muslim groups jointly and individually condemned the 9/11 attacks.
An AMPCC
statement issued within hours of the incidents stated: "American
Muslims
utterly condemn what are apparently vicious and cowardly acts of
terrorism
against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling
for the
swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No political
cause
could ever be assisted by such immoral
acts."
- END -
* AMPCC consists of American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American
Muslim Council
(AMC), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and
Muslim Public
Affairs Council
(MPAC).
CONTACT: AMA -
510-252-9858, http://www.amaweb.org/
AMC - 202-789-2262, http://www.amconline.org/
CAIR - 202-488-8787, http://www.cair-net.org/
MPAC - 213-383-3443, http://www.mpac.org/
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