CAIR-NJ, NJ Mosques, and Partners Publish Open Letter, Urge New Jersey Elected Officials to Act on Palestine and Address Root Cause of Violence
(Newark, NJ, 10/11/2023) – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today disseminated an open letter to New Jersey elected officials calling on them to respond to the calls of Palestinian civil society and to act in response to Israel’s war on Gaza.
SEE: Open Letter to New Jersey Elected Officials
The letter states, in part:
The Muslim community has long called for an end to Israel’s illegal occupation, Palestinians’ right to return to their ancestral lands, and the right to self-determination. This remains our call.
We write to you today as a consolidation from within your constituency. The undersigned community organizations further urge your respected offices to take the following actions:
- Address Israel’s heightened levels of violence and settlement expansions as of late;
- Review Israel’s continued harassment of Palestinians and Palestinian Americans especially who seek to visit their homelands especially in light of Israel’s admission to the U.S. visa waiver program;
- And to meet with our community to take lead and introduce you to medical and legal experts on Israeli state oppression.
The Palestinian American Community Center and American Muslims for Palestine co-authored the letter. It was signed onto by fourteen local mosques across the state.
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
We continue to stand firmly against Israeli occupation and in opposition to Israel’s relentless bombing of civilian infrastructure including hospitals and humanitarian aid, and its ongoing siege and blockade of the 25-mile-long strip.
Our solidarity and support are unwaveringly with our sisters and brothers in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and Muslim Americans make up a thriving segment of New Jersey’s population. They — we — are committed businesspeople, medical and legal professionals, educators, engineers, elected officials, and much more, and it is entirely unacceptable for elected officials to completely overlook our pain — which is why we are reaching out and reiterating our asks, as we have been over the last week.
The American Muslim community expects support from our elected leaders and hope to see that in the days to come.
We wish no harm on any innocent soul, especially no women, or child neither and we mourn the lives lost. Israel and only Israel bears responsibility for the calamities that we have been witnessing for that is the natural result of their oppression.
CAIR-NJ also called on members of the public to write to their representatives, calling on them to address Israel’s belligerency in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, which the UN calls a “substantial obstacle to peace.”
SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to Address Root Cause of Violence
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Dina Sayedahmed, dsayedahmed@cair.com, 908-668-5900 ext. 103
