Are we still marching on Sept. 11? Yes!

Are We Still Marching on Sept. 11? YES!

Thursday afternoon the top media story was racist Pastor Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., announcing that he was cancelling his planned 9/11 Quran burning. This came after heavy pressure from the White House and Pentagon fearful of the response in the Muslim world. It is also a grassroots victory based on the mass mobilization against this ugly threat taken on in Gainesville, Fla., by the local Students for a Democratic Society — SDS.

Jones claimed to have an agreement from the organizers of the Park51 Islamic Community Center to move the center. This was soon exposed as a lie.

We can be certain that pressure will continue on the Islamic Community Center to move, both from openly racist media, politicians and Tea Party types, as well as from White House and Pentagon figures trying to defuse an explosive situation.

And we can also be certain that the media will continue to ask organizers of the Unity Against Racism Rally, ‘Why not postpone your rally in case this can all be worked out? Why are you still marching?’

We ask, in turn:

• Have the racists and anti-Muslim bigots called off their 9/11 hatefest? The opposition to this bigotry, and a call for unity, equal rights and solidarity with Muslims was always the motivation behind the Unity Rally on Sept. 11.

• Have the racists agreed to stop their nationwide campaign of mosque desecration and vandalism, of shooting, physical attacks, and harassment of worshipers, of trying to ban construction of new mosques and community centers?

• Have the media and politicians agreed to stop their campaign of lies against Islam, claiming it is not deserving of the respect shown other religions?

• Have those saying the Park51 location is ‘insensitive’ changed their view that Islam is a second-class religion which somehow besmirches “sacred ground”?

• Have the White House and Pentagon agreed to call off their murders of people in predominantly Muslim countries, via war, drone attacks and assassinations? Have they agreed to free those illegally detained, abused, and tortured in Guantanamo and elsewhere? Are they withdrawing their ‘security-secrets’ rationale for denying Muslim victims of torture the right to sue to expose and seek redress for their ill-treatment? Is it stopping FBI infiltration of mosques and harassment and intimidation of worshipers? Is the Justice Department ending its campaign of "preemptive prosecutions" of Muslims?

Unfortunately, we must answer NO to all of the above questions. And, therefore, we say in the spirit of unity, equal rights and solidarity:

Yes, we are still marching — united, determined and many thousands strong — on Sept. 11!

Join us 1 p.m. at Park Place & Broadway — New York City Hall Park

http://www.iacenter.org/muslimsolidarity