Urge Elected Officials to Condemn Flotilla 'Massacre', Work to End Siege of Gaza
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Contact President Obama and other elected representatives and officials to request that they condemn Israel's brutal actions and work to end the siege of Gaza.
CONTACT President Obama by email: http://bit.ly/dDjiJv or call 202-456-1111 (Press '1' when prompted.)
CONTACT Senator Kirsten Gillibrand by email: http://bit.ly/b3fmPh or call 212-688-6262 and call Senator Charles Schumer at 212-486-4430.
CONTACT Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by email: http://bit.ly/a77XOv or call 202-647-5291 (Press '1' when prompted.)
COPY all correspondence to fali@cair.com.
CAIR: President Obama Must Condemn Gaza Flotilla 'Massacre'
(New York., NY 6/1/10) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is urging President Obama to condemn what the Muslim civil rights group called an Israeli "massacre" of civilians on a flotilla of ships in international waters seeking to bring humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip. Israeli commandos killed at least 10 civilians in a pre-dawn raid on the flotilla.
Israel's attack on the flotilla has already been condemned by the international community.
SEE: Israeli Action Widely Condemned: http://bit.ly/ajhqxg (LA Times) Turkey, Germany, France Lead Condemnation of Israeli Ship Raid: http://bit.ly/bkQ15q
A number of Americans, including former Ambassador Edward L. Peck, are among those taking part in the humanitarian aid effort. Other passengers include 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Northern Ireland. The nationalities of the dead are not yet known.
On Friday, CAIR's San Francisco Bay Area chapter (CAIR-SFBA) expressed concern for the safety of three local residents aboard the flotilla.
SEE: Bay Area Residents Aboard Gaza-Bound "Freedom Flotilla": http://bit.ly/bYqFn1
In a statement, United Nations officials said: "We wish to make clear that such tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of the international community to end its counterproductive and unacceptable blockade of Gaza."
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
-END-
CONTACT: CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, 212.870.2002, 718.724.3041, E-Mail: fali@cair.com; CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif, 212.870.2002, 732.429.4268, E-Mail: alatif@cair.com
