A Day of Du’a (prayer) for Syria and Egypt

ICNA calls upon all persons of conscience to help bring about democracy and freedom in Egypt

 
—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
 
WASHINGTON DC (August 23, 2013) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is calling for a day of du’a (prayer) for Syria and Egypt on Friday, August 23, 2013.

On July 2, 2013 the Egyptian military overthrew the democratically elected government. Since then as many as 3,000 Egyptians have been killed and many thousands have been severely injured. The bloodshed committed by the Egyptian security services and the army has caused a great suffering of the innocent pro-democracy demonstrators.

Egypt is the largest Arab country with a population of about 82 million. ICNA President Naeem Baig said “It is a known fact that ‘where Egypt goes, the Middle east goes’ and we all pray for a strong and democratic Egypt. The people of Egypt deserve better and the current regime supported by the Egyptian military is not what the people of Egypt struggled for in the past 2 years.”

We call upon President Obama to officially halt all military aid to Egypt. The $1.3 Billion military aid is not serving the best interest of the Egyptian people. The US must send a clear signal to the Egyptian military that it must not become a hurdle in the path to democracy. ICNA also calls for the release of all political prisoners and demands that all independent media outlets be reinstated. All Egyptians must have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression and the crackdown of peaceful protestors must end.

ICNA is requesting all people of conscience to call:
The Egyptian Embassy (202 966-6342) and demand:
a) Stop the killing and torturing of innocent pro-democracy protestors.
b) Protect people of all faiths and places of worships.
c) Listen to the Egyptian people and bring back democracy.
d) Let the independent media work freely in Egypt.

The Whitehouse (202-456-1111) or the State Department (202-647-4000) and demand:
a) Stop the military aid to Egypt.
b) Persuade the Egyptian military to restore the democracy.

ICNA President, Naeem Baig appealed, “Making dua is the first step, so let us ask Allah, subhanau wa ta’ala, to bring justice and peace in Egypt. And, make an effort and let your voices be heard.”

View the Original article