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Alert |
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MUSLIMS OFFER HELP FOR VICTIMS OF
TERRORIST ATTACKS
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(WASHINGTON, DC - 9/11/2001) - The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a
prominent Washington-based Islamic advocacy group, is
calling on Muslims nationwide to offer whatever
assistance they can to help the victims of today's
terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
In an alert to the American Muslim community,
CAIR suggested that the following actions be taken:
- Muslim medical professionals are asked to go to
the scenes of the attacks to offer aid and comfort to
the victims.
- Muslim relief agencies should contact their
counterparts to offer support in the recovery efforts.
- Individual Muslims should donate blood by
contacting the local office of the Red Cross. (Call
1-800-GIVE-LIFE.) They should also send donations to
those relief agencies that are on the scene of the
attacks.
CAIR's alert asked community
members to report incidents of anti-Muslim harassment or
attacks. It also suggested steps to take to increase
security around mosques and Islamic centers. (In the
first few days following the 1995 attack on the Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma, Muslims reported more than
200 incidents of harassment, threats and actual
violence. CAIR has already received reports of
harassment and attacks against Muslims who wear Islamic
attire.)
Security precautions suggested by
CAIR's alert include:
- Those who wear Islamic attire should consider
staying out of public areas for the immediate future.
- Request additional police patrols in the vicinity
of mosques.
- Post mosque members at entrances and parking areas
during prayer times.
- Report suspicious packages to police.
- Document descriptions of suspicious people or
vehicles.
There are an estimated seven
million Muslims in America and some 1.2 billion
worldwide. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions
in this country and around the
world.
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