AMP in the media this week

AMP Is Here To Stay; False Charges Need To Stop

The American Muslims for Palestine, a national not-for-profit organization, has long come under attack because of our mission to educate the American public about Palestine and its rich, cultural and religious heritage. Our goal is to build a grassroots movement that will help persuade our elected officials to create a more fair and balanced foreign policy for everyone who lives in the Middle East.

We’re not the only victims of these kind of smear campaigns. Organizations and websites like the Canary Mission, the Anti-Defamation League and The David Project routinely attack groups and individuals who advocate for Palestinian human rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center has named Horowitz an extremist, saying he “is a driving force of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black movements.”
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Israeli Ambassador to the US slams group for attacking anti-Islamist activists

Israeli Ambassador to to the United States Ron Dermer and one of the most conservative pro-Israel groups in the US, the Zionist Organization of America, doubled down Wednesday on American organizations they say provide refuge for anti-Israel sentiment or label conservatives as anti-Muslim.

Accepting an award from a conservative think tank earlier this week, Dermer attacked the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group that has called several controversial right-wing activists “anti-Muslim extremists.”
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Why Some Are Calling Foul on a New Muslim-Jewish Council Affiliated with a Pro-Israel Lobby Group

A new Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council ostensibly aimed at addressing “anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Semitism in the U.S.” is attracting headlines this week, with major media outlets trumpeting the initiative as a bridge-building endeavor.

“These Muslims And Jews Have Joined Forces To Tackle Bigotry In Trump’s America,” states the headline of a Buzzfeed article about the initiative, which the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) have played a role in launching. The Jewish Daily Forward ran an article posing the question, “Will Trump Bring Jews and Muslims Together To Fight Against Bigotry?” Pieces published in the Huffington Post and Jerusalem Post lean heavily on remarks from Robert Silverman, AJC director of Muslim-Jewish relations, who presents the initiative as an effort to heal divisions.
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Southland residents rally on Aleppo's behalf

As refugees continue to flee the beset Syrian city of Aleppo, Muslim Americans in Bridgeview came together Thursday night in a show of solidarity for the revolutionaries fighting against the country's government.

"Our cause is one, our struggle is one and our freedom, Inshallah (God willing), is one," said Deanna Othman, board member of the Chicago chapter of the organization American Muslims for Palestine.
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Chicagoans rally and pray for people of Aleppo

The American Muslims for Palestine along with 14 other local organizations are gathering in prayer tonight for those suffering in Syria.

The "Chicago Stands with Aleppo" rally is being held at Universal School in Bridgeview.

Roughly three thousand people were evacuated from rebel-held districts in Aleppo Thursday after a five-year civil war. Military action reportedly ended in eastern Aleppo early in the day; rebel groups have held the city since 2012, but they have been forced back to smaller sections in recent months by a government-operation backed by Russia and Iran.

The evacuation is expected to last three days under a deal brokered by Turkey and Russia and overseen by the Red Cross.
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