Urge Sen. Schumer to Retract Call to 'Strangle' Gaza

(NEW YORK, NY, 6/14/10) - CAIR-NY is calling New York Muslims and all people of conscience to contact Senator Charles Schumer and demand that he retract his statement condoning Israel's blockade of Gaza which has left 1.5 million residents, including women and children in a humanitarian crisis.

Last week, the senator at a leadership meeting of Institute for Public Affairs for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America said it "makes sense" to "strangle [Gaza] economically."

SEE: Schumer Says It 'Makes Sense' To Strangle [Gaza] Economically' Until It Votes The Way Israel Wants

"Senator Schumer's statement in support of the illegal blockade of Gaza is unconscionable, reprehensible and in blatant disregard for the sanctity of human life," said CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali. "Economically strangling an entire population is collective punishment at its worst and only serves to block moves toward a just resolution."

Immediate ACTION REQUESTED: (As always be firm but polite. Please post, copy and distribute widely.)

1. Call Senator Charles Schumer at 212-486-4430 or fax him at 212-486-7693.

2. Comment on his facebook wall by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/chuckschumer?ref=mfwall. (You must hit "like" to his page first in order to leave a comment.)

Sample Message:

As a New Yorker and registered voter, I write to urge you to retract your statement that it "makes sense" to "strangle [Gaza] economically." We urge you to join the repeated calls of the international community and condemn the collective punishment of 1.5 million people, including women and children. Anything less would be a blatant disregard for the sanctity of human life and a just resolution to the Middle East crisis .

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