Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago strongly condemns the massacre in Houla

Last Modified: Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:49:23 GMT v1.001

Ahlam Jbara

Press Release: For Immediate Release Media Contact: Ahlam Jbara ajbara@ciogc.org (312) 399-3796

Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago strongly condemns the massacre in Houla, Syria and calls on our administration to take an active leadership role.

(Chicago, May 29, 2012) - The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago strongly condemns the massacre of more than 100 people, including 49 children, last Friday in the town of Houla near Homs. This brings the death toll to more than (12,000) since the revolution began in January 2011. Bashar al-Assad and his regime continue to punish those who demonstrate and speak out against the oppression.

The bloodshed continues despite the calls for cease-fire and negotiations by the United Nations. Kofi Annan, secretary general of the UN, has urged Assad to implement the six-point peace plan, which calls for a cease-fire.

“It is time that the United Nations and United States take a stronger stance on Syria,” said Ahlam Jbara, associate director of CIOGC. “The Assad regime hasn’t responded to negotiations. How many people are to be murdered before we take this seriously and take real action?”

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, chairman of CIOGC, echoed Jbara’s stance.

“The whole world is saddened and enraged by the scenes of innocent women and children being slaughtered for no clear reason by the criminal Assad regime,” Sahloul said. “We call on all our faith partners to pray for the victims and for Syria. We call on the Muslim and all faith communities to call our senators and President Obama, asking for our country to take a leading role in protecting the Syrian people from the criminal regime as we have done in the past in Bosnia, Kosovo and Libya. This is our moral duty.”

CIOGC urges all communities to call the White House and our U.S. senators, including Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk and Sen. Richard Durbin, to urge them to take a leadership role and protect the Syrian people who are fighting for the same freedoms that we have in the U.S.

White House: 202-456-1111

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk: 312-886-3506

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin: 312-353-4852