Pakistani Americans,
Muslims Condemn Attack on Jewish Center
Newark,
CA: The Pakistan-American Democratic Forum (PADF), a grassroots
organization working for institution-building and restoration
of democracy in Pakistan, has strongly condemned the recent
attack on the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
A PADF statement, in part, reads:
"The Pakistan American Democratic Forum resolutely
condemns this hate crime resulting in death of one person
and injuries to five more. We offer our sincere condolences
the families of the victims and hope and pray for the speedy
recovery of the injured.”
AMA: The American Muslim Alliance (AMA), a civic education
organization with 101 chapters nationwide, has also strongly
condemned the attack. An AMA statement reads:
"We vigorously condemn this odious attack on a religious
institution and extend our heartfelt condolences to the
families of the victims. A multicultural society is built
around mutual respect and adherence to law. We support calls
for greater vigilance by law enforcement agencies in protecting
all places of worship. “
COPAA: “The Council Of Pakistan American Affairs (COPAA)
condemns the hate crime perpetrated against the Jewish Federation
in downtown Seattle, Washington killing one woman and wounding
five other women, including one who is about 20 weeks pregnant.
“COPAA, representing the Pakistani-American community,
condemns this hate crime against innocent and unsuspecting
civilians. COPAA offers its deepest and heartfelt sorrow
to the victims, their families and their friends. Nothing
can justify a disgruntled individual claiming to be of a
certain religious background and start shooting at innocent
civilians because of military actions in another part of
the world.
“COPAA is in complete support of Seattle’s Major
Greg Nickels statement, ‘This is a crime of hate,
and there's no place for that in the city of Seattle. This
was a purposeful hateful act, as far as we know, by an individual
acting alone.’ COPAA would like to extend Major Greg
Nickels statement by saying that there’s no place
for hate crimes ‘anywhere.’
“COPAA urges the world community to unite and condemn
all hate crimes intentionally perpetrated against selected
victims of any religion, ethnicity, race or gender. We must
unite against the perpetrators of these appalling acts.”
PAKPAC: “The Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee
(PAKPAC)condemns the attack by an individual claiming to
be an American Muslim on the Jewish Federation of Greater
Seattle… We condemn this senseless attack on any place,
let alone a religious and community institution and offer
sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed and
injured. We must do whatever is in our power to prevent
the current conflict in the Middle East from being transplanted
to our country. We actually foresee the good friendship
that the Pakistani Americans and American Muslims enjoy
with Jewish Americans to help build an important lasting
relationship which would serve as a mechanism to spread
peace in the Middle east, rather than the other way round.
“While international conflicts do lead to anger and
despair amongst people, we must unite together to ask all
people to stop hate speeches at all times which may lead
to hate-based actions. We must exercise zero tolerance for
anyone propagating hate based activities. We also urge local,
state and national law enforcement authorities to step up
security measures at synagogues, mosques and other religious
institutions of both faiths at this time.”
CAIR: In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil
rights and advocacy group said: "We condemn this senseless
attack on a religious institution and offer sincere condolences
to the loved ones of those killed or injured. The American
Muslim and Jewish communities must do whatever is within
their power to prevent the current conflict in the Middle
East from being transplanted to this country. We also urge
local, state and national law enforcement authorities to
step up security measures at synagogues, mosques and other
religious institutions of both faiths."
MPAC: The Muslim Public Affairs Council unequivocally condemns
the murder of one person and the wounding of five others
at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle , says an MPAC
press release. It adds: In addition, MPAC expresses its
deep condolences to the Jewish Federation and the families
of the victims and prays for the speedy recovery of those
injured by this crime motivated by hate.
According to the Seattle Times, Naveed Afzal Haq, 30, of
Everett, WA, burst into the offices of the Jewish Federation
shortly after 4pm PST and opened fire with a handgun. Haq
reportedly has a history of mental illness and court records
show a charge of lewd conduct pending against him in Benton
County, WA.
Responding to the concern that Haq may not have been acting
alone, FBI officials stated it was unlikely he had links
to any group.
[There is] "nothing to indicate he is part of a larger
organization" said David Gomez, assistant special agent
in charge of counter-terrorism for the FBI's Seattle office.
See: Hatred hits home: 6 shot at Jewish office (Seattle
Times, 7/29/06)
MPAC contacted its partner organization in Los Angeles,
the Progressive Jewish Alliance, and also contacted the
Wilshire Blvd. Temple, to communicate concerns over this
dreadful incident. MPAC is currently trying to contact the
Jewish Federation of Los Angeles.
Salam Al-Marayati, Executive Director of MPAC stated, "Our
fellow Jewish neighbors, and fellow Americans of all persuasions,
should hear our loud and explicit condemnation of this murder
and hate crime. No matter the differences in viewpoints
on the Middle East crisis, we are all Americans, and disagreements
should never go beyond the level of civil discourse we as
a nation pride ourselves in. This act, although committed
by someone seemingly mentally ill, is simply intolerable.
We reiterate our prayers for the loved ones affected by
this tragic hate crime."
In addition, Al-Marayati stated, "Never, never should
we allow the violence in the Middle East to spark violence
on our shores."
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