Protest staged against Trump administration’s blatant Islamophobic policies
An interfaith Iftar meal was celebrated right outside Trump Tower[/tweetit] on the night of June 1. Many New Yorkers, Muslim and non-Muslim, gathered on the sixth day of Ramadan. The event, organized by MPower Change and New York State Immigrant Action Fund was a peaceful protest against the anti-Muslim stance of the Trump administration.
Muslims Break Ramadan Fast In Front of Trump Tower[/tweetthis]
Police monitored the participants on Fifth Avenue as they sat on the edge of the road after prayers and shared a meal which included chicken, pizza, and rice in front of the building that houses the headquarters of the Trump Organization, the epicenter of the business empire helmed by President Donald Trump. Melania Trump, the first lady, also resides there with Barron, the couple's son, the youngest of the Trump clan.
The activists were not carrying any signs. They had simply gathered for Iftar. Iftar is the primary meal eaten by followers of the Islamic faith after the Ramadan fast. Ramadan is the Muslim month of prayer and fasting. The police monitored a large group of Muslims and their supporters from outside the security barriers only a few steps away from Trump's titular structure.
Anu Joshi, the deputy director of the New York State Immigrant Action Fund said, "Everyday American Muslims are confronted with bigotry and hate while commuting to work and school, applying for jobs, practicing their faith and simply living their lives." Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American and co-founder of the Women's March addressed the hundred-strong crowd; "We as Muslim Americans are here to stay. This country was founded and built on the backs of Muslims and black people. Islam is not a foreign entity to this United States.”
This protest came a few days after President Trump issued a statement where he wished Muslims a happy Ramadan. Curiously, he also mentioned the Manchester terrorist attack. He spoke about the UK attack and condemned the “perverted ideology” of the ISIS-linked attackers. The president was widely condemned for taking an Islamophobic tone when he was campaigning for the U.S. presidency. However, during his trip to Saudi Arabia, he made it clear that the United States was not fighting Islam, but terrorists besmirching the religion.