PDX Faith leaders press conference against Islamophobia

“These attacks have caused shock waves in our communities. They are being used by some as a pretext for instilling a frightening climate that turns every Muslim into a potential suspect. Many Muslim citizens in our community live in a heightened state of fear of verbal or physical attack.“At times like these,” says Wajdi [president of the Muslim Educational Trust] Said, “when many are sowing seeds of division and fear, it is heartening to know that there are good people in Portland taking a stand to uphold equal rights for all people.”“The fight against Islamophobia is necessary to defend our democratic freedoms and human rights,” adds Kayse Jama, executive director of the Center for Intercultural Organizing. “We affirm the universality of the anti-racist struggle and, through it, equality in law, respect and dignity of all human beings.”