Introduction:
United in our commitment to justice and humanity, we, the undersigned leaders of mosques
and interfaith organizations of Connecticut, express our profound concern for the people of Gaza. We
condemn indiscriminate violence against all civilians. In Gaza, over 5,800 Palestinians, including
more than 2,300 children, have been murdered with over 16,000 wounded. Hospitals are
overwhelmed, and entire neighborhoods lie in ruins. Strikes on hospitals that shelter
thousands of displaced and desperate people cause untold suffering for innocent Gazans.
Immediate Demands:
We demand our elected representatives call for an immediate ceasefire to end the violence in
Gaza.
We demand that they call for adequate water, food, medicine, fuel, and medical equipment to
enter Gaza, in compliance with international law.
We call upon the United Nations to intervene and to investigate the many war crimes being
committed in Gaza.
Condemnation of Actions:
We strongly condemn Israel’s bombings targeting homes, schools, hospitals, mosques, an
ancient church, entire neighborhoods, and border crossings.
Civilians have been told to “leave now,” but there is no safe place for over a million civilians to
take shelter.
The cutting off essential supplies is a war crime, and we reject military aid to Israel as it
implicates the US in war crimes.
Rejection of Claims:
We reject claims by Israel and the Biden administration that these attacks on civilians are
simply “self-defense.”
We are appalled at and condemn the lies and dehumanization of the Palestinian people by the
media and our elected officials, including the President, which has tragically led to hate crimes,
including the murder of a 6-year-old Palestinian child in Chicago.
Historical Context:
It has been 75 years, with more than 750,000 Palestinians who were made refugees and never
allowed to return to their own homes. These displaced people have grown to seven million, in
addition to the thousands more ethnically cleansed from their land.
It has been 56 years since the illegal occupation that has robbed Palestinian lands for illegal
Israeli settlements and has brutalized the civilian population.
Israeli settlers, supported by an extremist far-right government and their occupation forces,
continue to kill Palestinian civilians on their own land daily.
End the Inhumane Siege:
Gaza has been under an inhumane siege for 17 years. We demand our elected representatives
push for an end to the siege of Gaza and an end to the occupation, working towards a just
solution that upholds the legitimate rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, including
their autonomy, security, and safety. Justice is the only road to peace.
Prayer and Call to Action:
Finally, we pray to God to protect the vulnerable and aid those who are oppressed and
suffering from hunger, thirst, homelessness, and desperation.
We call upon our leaders, and people of faith and conscience to remember our obligations to
God and our ultimate accountability.
Mosque and Organization Endorsements:
https://ctleadership.org/
Khamis Abu-Hasaballah, PhD. President, Farmington Valley American Muslim Center, Avon
Kashif Abdul-Karim, Imam, Muhammad Islamic Center of Greater Hartford. Hartford
Raafat Elfouly, PhD. Imam, Islamic Center University of Connecticut
Mohamed Abdul Karim Turay, Masjid Al Islam, New Haven
Ali A. Antar, PhD, Co-President, Founder, Islamic Association of Greater Hartford, (Berlin
Mosque)
Reza Mansoor, MD, FACC, President, Muslim Coalition of Connecticut, Wethersfield
Ahmed Bedir, President, Omar Islamic Center, Middletown
Mohamed Chaouki, President, Masjid Al Rawda: Islamic Association of Southern CT, Meriden
Youness Bakr, CT Muslim Civic Alliance
Ahsan Saghir, President, Islamic Center of Connecticut
Muhammad Jamil, President, Islamic Center of Vernon
Saladin A. Hasan, Imam, Abdul Majid Karim Hasan Islamic Center Hamden
Muneeb Syed, President, MSA UCONN
Elmar Shakir, President, Islamic Center of Windsor Locks
Shazeeda Khan, President, Muslim Endorsement Council
Saidou Balogu, President, Masjid Salam, Hartford
Hussein Ahmad, Waterbury Islamic Cultural Center
Lyle Hasan, Imam, Al Aziz Islamic Center, Bridgeport
Masruk Siddique, President, Masjid An-Noor, Greater Bridgeport and Fairfield
Khaled ElLeithy, Ph.D. President, Bridgeport Islamic Community Center
Magdy Galal, M.D. President, Masjid Al-Mustafa (Islamic American Society of CT), Waterbury
Eman Beshtawi, President, Al-Hedaya Islamic Center and Mosque, Newtown
Mohamed Mountassir, President, Islamic Center of Wallingford
Akram Aljahmi, President, Tunxis Community College MSA, Farmington
Mohammed Al Masri, Imam, Norwalk Islamic Center
Omar Abdelgadir, President, Islamic Association of Central CT, New Britain
Khalid A. Mohamed, DVM, President, New Haven Islamic Center, Orange
Kemal Cecunjanin, Imam, Islamic Community of Fairfield, Monroe
Mohammad Akhtar, President, Islamic Society of Western CT, Danbury
Altaf Rasool, Islamic Center of New London, Groton
Shakoor Khan, President, Baitul Muharram Masjid, Danbury
Ahmed Baykar, Imam, Bloomfield Muslim Community Center, Bloomfield
Haydar Elevi, President, Diyanet Mosque of New Haven
Ali Shakabi, MD, BOT, Institute of Ahlabayt
Majeed Sharif, President, United Muslim Masjid, Waterbury
Interfaith and Multifaith Groups
Shelly Altman, Jewish Voice for Peace, New Haven
Elizabeth Arohnson, Ph.D. We Refuse to Be Enemies, CT
Ghoufran Allababidi, President, Tree of Life Educational Fund, Old Lyme
