No occupation of Iraq and no Jews in Israel. This is intolerant...
Posted on 05/01/2006 5:58:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Waving a Palestinian flag, a group of Muslims and Arab-Americans on Monday joined thousands of demonstrators in the state capital participating in the national boycott to support immigrant rights.
While their presence was welcomed by the predominantly Hispanic crowd, their message received a mixed reaction.
During speeches at a downtown park and on the steps of the Capitol, 25-year-old Lara Kiswani spoke about amnesty, the rights of workers and other issues important to immigration advocates. But she also used her speeches to criticize the war in Iraq, denounce the U.S.A. Patriot Act and rail against Israel's policies in the Middle East.
"No to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. No to the Israeli occupation of Palestine," shouted Kiswani, program director for the National Council of Arab Americans in Sacramento. "Yes to the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland."
Some in the crowd felt that message was a bad fit for a national day of protest designed to highlight the importance of immigrant laborers.
"I like the support; everybody is welcome. But I don't like the side issues being brought in," said Luis Rios, a 39-year-old Intel employee from the Sacramento suburb of Folsom. "If you bring in other issues, it dampers the movement."
John Batarseh of Sacramento, compared the Hispanic fight for immigration rights to the Palestinian cause for an independent homeland. He wore a traditional Kufia scarf around his shoulders as a sign of resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
"California is Mexican land; our land was stolen from Israel," said Batarseh, 43, a member of the Free Palestine Alliance, an activist group that promotes an independent Palestinian state.
Jamil Ibrahim, 30, a member of the National Council of Arab Americans in Sacramento and a rally participant, said Arab-Americans have just as much of a stake in the debate over immigration as other groups.
"With the heightened security after 9/11, there has been targeted discontent against Arab-Americans in the U.S so it's important for us to stand up against injustice," he said.
Fatima Castaneda, part of a group that helped mobilize Hispanics to Monday's rally in the capital, said Hispanics should empathize with Arabs, even when their message is politically sensitive.
"Anytime there's an injustice, there's controversy when you speak against it," said Castaneda, 30. "These people also have injustices, and it's important we stand with them."
But other Hispanics participating in the rally said marchers should not stray from messages related to the plight of immigrant workers.
Fidel Rodriguez, 23, a Sacramento plumber who took the day off from his job, said speeches about Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were inappropriate for the theme of Monday's demonstrations.
"I don't think that's what we're here to talk about," he said.
And for people concerned with immigrants' rights, they seem awfully intent on expelling the Zionist menace from "the Palestinian homeland."
No occupation of Iraq and no Jews in Israel. This is intolerant...
our land was stolen from Israel,"
said Batarseh, 43, a member of the Free Palestine Alliance, an activist group that promotes an independent Palestinian state.
Those Freudian slips are just hell!
The palestinkians are such losers!
Coming soon: Suicide ponchos.
End the Palestinian occupation of Israeli land!
Oops!
Fatema Castañeda—a "Chicana Student Activist" for CSU Long Beach. Future career choice: University Administrator? Heh. Talk about reaching for the sky... I do recommend you check out the link above, though. Hint hint.
Oh, and those of you who are still silly enough to continue to hold out hope for California, this is another instance of your tax dollars well-spent.
Whenever you're ready, we'd welcome you back East...
Uh...O...K...
our land was stolen from Israel,
yep
Actually, Einstein, it's INDIAN land. And after that it was Spanish land. So shaddup.
Great! I want the internal blowup. I want Mexican/Hispanic illegal immigrants to ally with Palestinian illegals and "International Worker's Party"members and for the MSM to show the alignment. Let's get the "Felons Demanding Equal Rights" in there too, maybe the "Gay and Lesbian Transsexual Single Parents for Forced Diversity" in the mix as well. Let's have one great big giant out of control amorphous mass that dilutes its own message and aligns every enemy of the US government with all other enemies of the US govt.
Bring it on.
Carumba!
The Mayday/Boycott parade here in Portland included groups protesting fur on people and another group calling for Bison Rights(Along with the usual Labor unions, anarchists, antiwar and GLTG groups).
(We have to be mindful of the gay and lesbian agenda too ;)
/sarcasm
I have very little patience with aliens rioting in my country.
Sheesh...anyone want anymore proof that this isn't quite what it seems?
DEME CINCO!
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