Washington: More than a thousand Muslim men and women on Friday gathered outside the US Capitol to hold a prayer meeting and demonstrate against prejudice against Islam.
With men on one side, and women on the other, the crowd prayed on lawns outside the building in an event organised by the Dar-ul-Islam Elisabeth mosque, in northeastern New Jersey yesterday.
"In addition to being an historic event I think it's just a matter of all the Muslims coming together in one location to perform what is our obligation for the Friday prayer," said one of the participants Lonnie Shabazz.
"The message was clear. I think the message basically was to let the American public know that all the stigmas that are attached to Muslims are not true.”
"We're not extremists and we do not subscribe to the trend of racism. I think that message was achieved today."
On their website, the organisers, who had been hoping to attract some 5,000 people, said that they wanted "to manifest Islam's majestic spiritual principals as revealed by Allah to our beloved prophet."
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, September 26, 2009, 11:07