The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of Heather Heyer, Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, and State Trooper Berke M. M. Bates. We also pray for the speedy and complete recovery of all of those who were injured.
We also join with communities, houses of worship and community organizations across our nation offering encouragement and support to the peaceful citizens of the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, and to Governor Terry McAuliffe, Mayor Michael Singer, and all governmental officials in the State of Virginia tasked with restoring calm to the Charlottesville community.
Finally, we must not let of words of a few hateful people, who cloak their words and deeds with their right to freedom of speech, to rip the fabric of values and beliefs that bind us as a nation.
We must collectively denounce and stand against all words of hate, acts of intimidation, and violence rooted in any form of racial, religious, ethnic, or gender discrimination. Our collective message must be clear: Hate has no home in this nation.
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