On Wednesday, July 14, 2010, the Sudanese diaspora, the Damanga organization, and the Darfur Interfaith Community are planning a joint protest in front of the White House at 12 Noon in Lafayette Park.
Please join our call for the arrest of Omar Al Bashir
Sudanese Diaspora from all over the DC metropolitan area coming to Washington DC to demonstrate their commitment to justice and remind the world that July 14th of 2008 marked the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir by the ICC. He is still a fugitive of justice and has continued committing more atrocities against our people in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.
When: Wednesday July 14th, noon – 1:00 pm
Where: Lafayette Park, in front of the White House
“Please join the people of Sudan in their fight for justice. Your support is extremely important to bring justice for the victims of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. We need you to help make this a priority to the leaders of the world. Please come and bring your friends with you to join in bringing Al Bashir to justice!”
“July 14, 2008 represents an important day for the people of Darfur and throughout Sudan. On this day, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the Sudanese President al-Bashir for his role in orchestrating and perpetrating war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The indictment of al-Bashir has brought hope to the people of Darfur in particular but also other marginalized Sudanese in the South, East, Nuba Mountain, Blue Nile and the Nubia in the Far North Sudan. It ensures that no one is above the law, one day justice can be achieved and finally that impunity will not be an option in Sudan.”
“Therefore we, the Sudanese community leaders and human rights activists, in Washington DC metropolitan area have decided not to remain silent. We must come together and commemorate this day and call the attention of the international community that they need to live up to their commitment and honor their promise by providing the necessary support to the ICC, reinforce its effort to execute the pending arrest warrant against al-Bashir and hold him accountable for the crimes committed against the people of Darfur.”
“On July 14, 2008, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), submitted his request to indict Omar al-Bashir, on several counts of crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. The indictment came as a result of enormous effort by human rights organizations and the advocacy community forcing the U.N Security Council to refer the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation.”
“July 14th, 2010 will mark the second anniversary of Sudan’s president being indicted, yet the atrocities have not ended. Come one and come all to share a moment of action.”
“‘The motives of the Sudanese head of state were ‘above all, political,’… He used the ‘alibi’ of counterinsurgency in order to try ‘to end the history of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people.’ In fact, ‘his intent was genocide.’ — Luis Moreno-Ocampo”
“In commemoration of this historic day to remember individuals lives lost and to build on the international effort to achieve justice in all of Sudan, all human rights and advocacy organizations are called upon to participate in the day of remembrance and action.”
If you are taking the Washington DC subway (Metro), you should exit at the Farragut West (Orange/Blue Lines), Farragut North (Red Line), or McPherson Square (Orange/Blue Lines) metro stops.
FARRAGUT NORTH METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions: 1. Exit station through CONNETICUT AVE & K ST NW entrance. 2. Walk a short distance S on Connecticut Ave NW. 3. Walk straight on 17th St NW. 4. Walk approx. 1 block S on 17th St NW. 5. Turn left on I St NW. 6. Walk a short distance E on I St NW. 7. Turn right on Connecticut Ave NW. 8. Walk approx. 1 block S on Connecticut Ave NW. 9. Bear right on Jackson Pl NW. 10. Walk approx. 1 block S on Jackson Pl NW. 11. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW. 12. Walk approx. 1 block E on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)'s Jeffrey Imm Leads Challenge to Hizb ut-Tahrir -- Hizb ut-Tahrir America Cancel Chicago ConferenceR.E.A.L.'s Jeffrey Imm on Muslims that Promote Democracy and Freedom , Rejecting Hizb ut-Tahrir's Views
To counter Hizb ut-Tahrir’s statements that its anti-democracy view represented an “Islamic” position, Muslim supporters of R.E.A.L. rejected Hizb ut-Tahrir’s positions. At the Washington DC Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out in support of racial equality, R.E.A.L. founder Jeffrey Imm read statements from pro-democracy, pro-human rights Islamic groups in the United States, which he called “Muslims in support of democracy and freedom,” including the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), the American Islamic Congress, the Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), and others.
Jeffrey Imm also read to those at the Lincoln Memorial the comments by Muslims who were former members of Hizb ut-Tahrir and who have since rejected Hizb ut-Tahrir’s extremist and intolerant views, such as Hadiya Masieh and Ed Husain. On July 4, Muslim woman Hidiya Masieh told the Guardian newspaper that “The 7/7 bombers and the people I knew at HT were two sides of the same coin… HT says it does not believe in violence, but the violence was never condemned….” Ed Husain has written that “Hizb ut-Tahrir calls for an expansionist, violent, totalitarian Islamist state,” and that the “rhetoric of jihad introduced by Hizb ut-Tahrir in my days was the preamble to 7/7 and several other attempted attacks.”
Muslims Ed Husain and Hadiya Masieh: Former Hizb ut-Tahrir Members Who Reject HT's Extremist Views (Ed Husain - Left - Photo: the Independent, Hadiya Masieh - Right - Photo: the Guardian)
R.E.A.L. reported last July 2009, how Hizb ut-Tahrir America distributed brochures calling for the “death penalty” for those who sought religious freedom. At Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s July 19, 2009 event in Chicago, they distributed a pamphlet (page 62) that supports killing those individuals who leave Islam as guilty of “treason and a political attack on the Khilafah.” The Hizb ut-Tahrir America website promoting this year’s conference in Chicago promotes links to the main Hizb ut-Tahrir website, Khilafah.com, where this pamphlet is still distributed online by Hizb ut-Tahrir, even after the cancellation of its latest U.S. conference.
UK Hizb ut-Tahrir Leader Burhan Hanif Urges Australian Muslims to Reject Democracy -- Spoke at 2009 Chicago Hizb ut-Tahrir America Conference (Photo: YouTube)
Anti-Democracy Hizb ut-Tahrir America December 20, 2009 Meeting at Govt-Managed Facility in Lombard, Illinois -- Women Segregated and Only Permitted to Sit in the Back of the Room
On World AIDS Awareness Day, The Jakarta Globe reported that “Ahead of World AIDS Day on Tuesday, members of the group Hizbut Tahrir took to the streets in several major cities, including Jakarta, Solo, Yogyakarta and Makassar in South Sulawesi. ‘We urge everybody to support the application of Shariah in an Islamic caliphate so that, God willing, all of us will be free from the threat of HIV/AIDS,’ Hizbut Tahrir spokeswoman Febrianti Abassuni said in a statement.” Calling “homosexuals the agents of immorality,” Hizb ut-Tahrir called for an end to programs providing condoms in Indonesia.
World AIDS Day: Hizb ut-Tahrir Demonstrates Against Homosexuals, Calls for Global Islamic Caliphate (AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo)
On the Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia web site, Hizb ut-Tahrir contributors condemned World AIDS awareness day on “every December 1st as the International AIDS Day was not to eliminate AIDS, but to preserve and nourish AIDS promiscuity.” The Hizb ut-Tahrir web site also stated that “So in addition to the state must pay the state AIDS drug research mencarian shall take firm action against any perpetrator punished adultery with stoning to death for those who are married and whip a hundred times for the adulterer who had never married. Also ta’zir law for drug users. In the guarantee people will think a thousand times to do similar things so that transmission of HIV / AIDS can be prevented.”
Hizb ut-Tahrir Web Site on World AIDS Day - Calls for Stoning and Whipping (Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia Web Site)
On June 22, 2010, Hizb ut-Tahrir held another major demonstration calling for stoning, during its protests against “liberalism” on the Internet. AFP reported that: “About 1,000 protesters led by radical group Hizbut Tahrir shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is greater) and brandished black flags and banners with slogans such as ‘Arrest those who commit promiscuous sex’….”Hizbut Tahrir spokesman Mohammed Ismail Yusanto said the Internet was a threat to Islamic values in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country. He said Islamic or sharia law should be applied across the archipelago of some 240 million people, including the stoning to death of adulterers. ”
“Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia coordinator Fadilah Karimah, 32, said she would like to see adulterers buried up to their necks in public places and pelted with stones until dead. ‘Those people who have sex before marriage should be caned with a stick 100 times in public. Adulterers should be half-buried and stoned to death,’ she told AFP at the rally.”
Anti-Democracy Group Hizb ut-Tahrir Protest in Indonesia (Photo: AFP)
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports the unqualified, universal human rights for all people everywhere, including the rights and dignity for women and people of every identity group. R.E.A.L. support for our universal human rights includes our commitment to freedom of religion, freedom of worship, freedom of conscience, and freedom of expression. We support democracy and democratic values not as “Western values,” but as values that are the right for every human being of every identity group and every religion around the world.
We believe that such support for our universal human rights begins with love for our fellow human beings.
We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.
What We Believe - Responsible for Equality And Liberty's Jeffrey Imm Demonstrating Outside Hizb ut-Tahrir America's July 19, 2009 Chicago Event
“This statement was adopted by AIC’s founders in November of 2001.”
“Muslims have been profoundly influenced by their encounter with America. American Muslims are a minority group, largely comprising African-Americans, immigrants, and children of immigrants, who have prospered in America’s climate of religious tolerance and civil rights. The lessons of our unprecedented experience of acceptance and success must be carefully considered by our community.”
“* American Muslims must champion pluralism and condemn all forms of intolerance. American Muslims have a vested interest in the strength of religious freedom and democracy. Because Muslims are relative newcomers to America, we must work to guarantee our equal rights and prevent hate crimes. At the same time, we must condemn hate speech and calls for violence by Muslims. Hateful statements and actions by fellow Muslims threaten the reputation of our entire community. We must censure intolerance, whatever its source.”
“* American Muslims must be leading ambassadors to the Muslim world. America has been a haven for Islam. American Muslims must educate the Muslim world about the remarkable freedoms and coexistence we enjoy here. Calls for “Death to America” and the murder of Americans are an attack on millions of Muslims who are proud to call themselves American. Virulent anti-American rhetoric and action by radicalized Muslims threaten our country, our freedom, and our democracy.”
“* American Muslims must recognize and celebrate our own diversity. Our community comprises individuals of various religious strains, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and political outlooks. We embody the spirit of American diversity and represent a rainbow of humanity. By celebrating diversity and building bridges within our own community, we help strengthen American society.”
“* All Muslims should enjoy the social and economic prosperity experienced by American Muslims. We owe our strength and success in part to classic American principles of individual rights and social justice. And, as Americans, we are citizens of a nation that has prospered greatly in the global economy. But in much of the Muslim world, wide income disparities, high unemployment, economic underdevelopment, and limited individual rights create a fertile ground for despair and extremism. We should strive to improve economic conditions and individual freedom in the Muslim world.”
“* American Muslims must champion the rights of minorities in the Muslim world. We know firsthand the importance of protecting the full rights of minority communities. One of our gifts to the larger Muslim world must be a new emphasis on considering and protecting the rights of minorities. This includes a painful reckoning with past and present episodes of intolerance in the Muslim world – and a commitment to progress in the future.”
“1. Identity: We accept as Muslim anyone who identifies as such. The veracity and integrity of that claim is between the individual and God, and is not a matter for the state nor an issue which other individuals can or should judge.”
“2. Equality: We affirm the equal worth of all human beings, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, creed, sexual orientation, or ability. We are committed to work toward societies that ensure social, political, educational, and economic opportunities for all.”
“3. Separation of Religious and State Authorities: We believe that freedom of conscience is not only essential to all human societies but integral to the Qur’anic view of humanity (see Qur’an 2:256). We believe that secular government is the only way to achieve the Islamic ideal of freedom from compulsion in matters of faith.”
“4. Freedom of Speech: We support freedom of expression and freedom of dissent, whether political, artistic, social or religious, even when that expression may be offensive and that dissent may be considered blasphemous. No one should be legally prosecuted, imprisoned or detained for declaring or promoting unpopular opinions.”
“5. Universal Human Rights: We affirm our commitment to social, economic and environmental justice. We believe that the full self-realization of all people, in a safe and sustainable world, is a prerequisite for freedom, civility, and peace. We support efforts for universal health care, universal public education, the protection of our environment, and the eradication of poverty.”
“6. Women’s Rights: We support women’s agency and self-determination in every aspect of their lives. We believe in women’s full participation in society at every level. We affirm our commitment to reproductive justice and empowering women to make healthy decisions regarding their bodies, sexuality and reproduction.”
“7. Lesbian and Gay Rights: We endorse the human and civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals. We support full equality and inclusion of LGBTI individuals in society and in the Muslim community.”
“8. Critical Analysis and Interpretation: We call for critical engagement with Islamic scripture, traditional jurisprudence, and current Muslim discourses. We believe that critical thinking is essential to spiritual development. We promote interpretations that reflect basic Qur’anic principles of tolerance, inclusiveness, mercy, compassion, and fairness.”
“9. Compassion: We affirm that justice and compassion should be the guiding principles for all aspects of human conduct. We repudiate militarism and violence, whether on an individual, organizational, or national level.”
“10. Diversity: We embrace religious pluralism and the diversity of inspirations that motivate people to embrace social justice. We believe that one’s religion is not the exclusive source of truth. As such, we will engage with a diversity of philosophical and spiritual traditions in pursuit of a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.”
“Founded in Washington, DC in 2004, the Center for Islamic Pluralism (CIP) is a think tank that challenges the dominance of American Muslim life by militant Islamist groups. Specifically, our mission is to:”
“* Foster, develop, defend, protect, and further mobilize moderate American Muslims in their progress toward integration as an equal and respected religious community in the American interfaith environment;”
“* Define the future of Islam in America as a community opposed to the politicization of our religion, its radicalization, and its marginalization, which has taken place because of the imposition on Muslims of attitudes opposed to American values, traditions, and policies;”
“* Educate the broader American public about the reality of moderate Islam and the threat to moderate Muslims and non-Muslim Americans represented by militant, political, radical, and adversarial tendencies.”
— “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
— “AIFD was formed as an unmistakable expression of American liberty and freedom in an attempt to take back the faith of Islam”
— “He felt that AIFD could formally articulate the fact that in commentary and scholarship that many Muslims believe that they are able to practice their faith more freely and more Islamically (in a personal and secular fashion which is most suited to preserve one’s faith) in America than in any other place in the world. ”
— “AIFD seeks to make a small contribution to the body of thought which articulates an understanding of Islam which separates religion and state and is in complete harmony with the U.S. Constitution and our citizenship pledge.”
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‘Hounded’ Hindus take shelter in Karachi cattle pen after drinking water from mosque, Pakistan
Karachi : In an incident which showcases the brutal hatred with which Hindus are seen in Pakistan, at least 60 members of the minority community, including women and children, were forced to abandon their house in Karachi’s Memon Goth area just because a Hindu boy drank water from a cooler outside a mosque.
Local tribesman, who hold a good clout in the area, thrashed several Hindus forcing them to run away and take shelter in a near by cattle pen, The News reports.
“All hell broke loose when my son, Dinesh, who looked after chickens in a farm, drank water from a cooler outside a mosque. Upon seeing him do that, the people of the area started beating him up,” said Meerumal, a resident of the area.
“Later, around 150 tribesmen attacked us, injuring seven of our people, who were taken to the Jinnah Hospital,” he added.
One of the injured, Heera, said that another 400 families of the area were also being threatened to leave their households and settle elsewhere.
“Our people are even scared of going out of their houses. We are also putting up with living in the filthy pen because we cannot go home for fear of being killed,” Heera said.
Police officials are aware about the incident, but they have failed to take any steps to stop the atrocities being meted out to theminority community.
“A trivial incident led to riots between the people of the area. Since both the communities happened to be illiterate, the matter just flared up,” said Memon Goth Station House Officer (SHO).
Meanwhile, Minority Affairs Minister Dr Mohan Lal has assured Hindus of full government protection.
“I have directed the DPO and the SHO to ensure that these people go back to their houses safely,” Lal said.
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Rajasthan : India is known for her hospitality, but we are sorry to say that our experience with the officials here is nothing short of a nightmare,” says Satya Ramprakash, a member of a 65-member Hindu pilgrim group that has come from Pakistan.
The group wanted to visit various places of religious importance to the Hindus, but so harried it is that many of them are planning to dump the tour midway and return to Pakistan.
The 65-member group left Sindh in Pakistan on June 18 for India on a month-long pilgrimage. They arrived in Jodhpur the very next day and their trauma began then and there. Rules are such that besides registering with the local police, they have to have a guarantor in each city they visit. Their local guarantor at Jodhpur, Acharya Gopal, washed off his hands of their onward journey, once they reached there.
“Despite valid visa, we had to go to the court to file an affidavit, stating that we are from Pakistan and have come to India on a pilgrimage. We sought residential permit so that we could stay at some places during our month-long tour. It took us as many as eight days to complete the formality,” said Nagji Thakor, a person of Gujarati origin who lives at Virpur village in Sindh province.
“Since we could not check into any hotel, we had to spend our days at courts and offices and nights at railway station,” he added. That the group had many elderly persons and women did not move the officials.
However, they expressed their gratitude to local people. “People are friendly. They have helped us and guided us. It is the set of rules that has balked us. If you have such rules what is the fun in running Samjhauta Express?” said Sardara Prajapati.
He pointed out that many groups have travelled to India in the past, but they did not face such problems.
The group arrived in Ahmedabad on Sunday and ran into the “Bharat bandh” on Monday. After wasting a day, they went to the police commissioner’s office in Shahibaug on Tuesday morning. It took the entire day for them to register themselves.
“The recent change in rules and procedure has sapped our spirit and energy. Registration that should take a few hours is taking days and instead of praying at shrines we are spending time in courts and offices,” Goswami Bhairopriya Maharaj who is from Dingan village in Sindh.
“Many are contemplating going back to Pakistan. I am not sure how many of us will continue with the tour,” he added.
The group’s next stop is Radhanpur in north Gujarat. Their itinerary included visiting 150 small and big religious places across India during the 28-day tour. Some of the important places included Jodhpur, Barmer, Ahmedabad, Radhanpur, Mathura and Hardwar. They entered India in Samjhauta Express via Attari in Punjab.
India: Horror killings to ‘guard’ honour shaking India
— One India: “”In Shivganga, 20 year-old Megala and 24-year-old Sivakumar, were told that they could not marry as they were related. Despite Megala’s love, her family married her off in June. She eloped with Sivakumar ten days after the wedding. Her family traced the couple and killed Sivakumar with sickles. The killers included Megala’s father and brother. Megala says that everyone in her village, including her mother, justified the killing of her lover as she fetched shame to her community and village.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) invites the public to join us at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sunday, July 11 at 2 PM to promote our shared support for democracy, freedom, human rights. We also will call for an end to stoning, and we stand in solidarity with Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
Join us on July 11, 2010 at 2 PM in Washington DC at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps – in a joint demonstration – not of what we are against, but what we support as all Americans: our democracy, our freedom,our universal human rights. We choose that spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood – with his courage of compassion years ago – on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps, and called out to the American conscience “I have a dream.” We know that realizing such a dream entails the responsibility of standing together – not just for what we oppose – but also for what we believe.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps Location for Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) Rally
It is easy to take our freedoms for granted, but the truth remains that there are those in America and around the world who seek to deny such inalienable universal human rights, who seek deny democracy, who seek to deny freedom of religion, and who seek to deny basic human rights and dignity for our fellow human beings with different ethnic backgrounds, genders, and races.
We will also take the opportunity to oppose the barbaric punishment of stoning, and to stand in solidarity with those victims of stoning and those that have been condemned to stoning around the world, including Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
We also object to those groups that promote the barbaric punishment of stoning which Hizb ut-Tahrir supports in its public demonstrations. The barbaric practice of stoning is one that all human beings must reject in showing our love and dignity to our fellow human beings.
We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate — Love Wins.
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July 11 Lincoln Memorial Event Logistics: Our event will be held from 2 to 3 or 3:30 PM ET on Sunday July 11, at the reflecting pool steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial (not the Lincoln Memorial steps). We are recommending that attendees take public transportation via the Washington subway to either the Foggy Bottom metro stop and walk south to the Lincoln Memorial, or the Smithsonian metro stop and walk west along the National Mall and 17th street to Lincoln Memorial (see details below). We have a National Park Service permit for our event.
Important note – the reflecting pool steps where our event will be located is on the east side of the 23rd street that goes between the Lincoln Memorial itself and the reflecting pool in front of it.
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC is on the far end of the National Mall and bisects 23rd Street (see PDF of map). It can be reached from Constitution Avenue from Henry Bacon Drive and from Independence Avenue from Henry French Drive. Limited parking may be available on Independence Avenue or Madison Avenue near the National Mall, or at the Jefferson Memorial. However, parking in Washington DC is scarce, and using public transportation is strongly recommended.
DC Subway and Walking Directions
Walking from Foggy Bottom subway stop to Lincoln Memorial
– Map in walking from Foggy Bottom to Lincoln Memorial
* Exit station using main exit
* Walk approx. 7 blocks S on 23rd St NW. (stay on 23rd Street essentially until you get within visual range of Lincoln Memorial)
* Turn right on Lincoln Memorial Circle SW.
* Walk a short distance W on Lincoln Memorial Circle SW.
Walking from Smithsonian subway stop to Lincoln Memorial
* Exit station using 12TH & JEFFERSON (THE MALL) exit
* Walk approx. 2 blocks W on Jefferson Dr SW.
* Turn right on 14th St NW.
* Walk approx. 1 block N on 14th St NW.
– Map in walking from Smithsonian subway to Washington Monument (en route)
* Keep walking past Washington Monument west in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial
* Cross 17th Street going west
* Walk past National World War II Monument west in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial
* Continue to walk down Washington Mall in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial * NOTE: that our rally will be on the side of the reflecting pool nearest the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial is part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The memorial stands in West Potomac Park, near the convergence of numerous roads from throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In terms of placement, the memorial occupies a highly symbolic and important position as the western “bookend” of the National Mall, while the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial provides the eastern component at the foot of Capitol Hill, two miles to the east.
Car
Interstate 395 provides access to the Mall from the South. Interstate 495, New York Avenue, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the Cabin John Parkway provide access from the North. Interstate 66, U.S. Routes 50 and 29 provide access from the West. U.S. Routes 50, 1, and 4 provide access from the East.
PublicTransportation
There are several Metro train and bus routes from the suburban areas surrounding the city. In addition to Washington, D.C. public transportation, adjacent state and commonwealth transportation authorities offer train service from area cites to the Nation’s Capital. Consult the Public Transportation link for additional details.
Parking
General visitor parking is available along Ohio Drive, SW between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials. Bus parking is available primarily along Ohio Drive, SW near the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials and along Ohio Drive, SW in East Potomac Park. See the Maps section for a detailed understanding of these areas.
There is limited handicapped parking at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and World War II Memorials and near the Washington Monument and the Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials; otherwise, parking is extremely scarce in Washington, D.C.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
Martin Luther King, Jr., delivering his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from the steps of Lincoln Memorial. (photo: National Park Service)
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
CNN reports in its story “Former top anti-terror cop: London should fear more terror attacks”:
— “But for one young British Muslim woman, who was herself radicalized after joining extremist group Hizb ut Tahrir at college, seeing the July 7 attacks for herself on television proved to be the high watermark for her radical beliefs.”
— “‘I think it was a wake-up call,’ Hadiya Masieh told CNN. ‘I was heavily pregnant with my third child when I was in the waiting room of the hospital watching the screen. I just felt like hiding. I wanted to distance myself from those people who created that atrocity.'”
— “She and her husband, who also belonged to Hizb ut Tahrir, now work to foster better relations between faiths. In her latest project she helped set up a screening of a movie she hopes will break down barriers. The film, ‘Arranged,’ depicts a blossoming friendship between a Muslim woman and an orthodox Jewish woman.”
— “‘At the end of the day, if we have an understanding of each other I think this will eradicate any feelings of animosity and hatred.'”
See also Guardian / Observer: Hadiya Masieh: How 7 July bombings made me question my beliefs
— “Hadiya Masieh was recruited by Hizb ut-Tahrir radicals, but 7/7 bombings five years ago opened her eyes”
— “‘The 7/7 bombers and the people I knew at HT were two sides of the same coin,’ she says. ‘HT says it does not believe in violence, but the violence was never condemned; they just didn’t think it would achieve anything.’ She told the organisation that she no longer believed what it preached and she left.”
British Muslim Woman Hadiyah Masieh was a Member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, But Rejected Its Views After July 7 Attacks (Photo: Guardian/Observer)
In July 2007, Muslim Ed Husain reported on his previous involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir, and stated that “Hizb ut-Tahrir calls for an expansionist, violent, totalitarian Islamist state,” and that the “rhetoric of jihad introduced by Hizb ut-Tahrir in my days was the preamble to 7/7 and several other attempted attacks.”
1. Head north on 20th St NW toward Q St NW 33 ft
2. Turn left at Q St NW 1.1 mi
3. Turn right at Wisconsin Ave NW 0.7 mi
Destination will be on the right
1. Head southeast on Connecticut Ave NW toward Woodley Rd NW 207 ft
2. Turn right at Woodley Rd NW 0.3 mi
3. Continue onto Garfield St NW 0.5 mi
4. Turn left at 34th St NW 0.2 mi
5. Turn right at Massachusetts Ave NW 246 ft
6. Turn left at Observatory Cir NW 0.3 mi
7. Continue onto Calvert St NW 0.1 mi
8. Turn left at Wisconsin Ave NW 0.3 mi
Destination will be on the left
Walking Map from Woodley Park Metro
Washington DC – Street View of Intersection of Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. and W Place, N.W.
