- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
TEHRAN, June 2, YJC - A number of Muslims have held a demonstration outside the Trump Tower in Manhattan in New York City to protest against US President Donald Trump's rhetoric against Islam.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Around 100 Muslims who were invited by two advocacy groups, MPower Change and the New York State Immigrant Action Fund, showed up for the "Iftar” event on Thursday. The event turned into a protest rally against the president's anti-Muslim policies.
Participants prayed and shared meals as the police officers stood on Fifth Avenue, one of the busiest streets in the country, closely monitoring the area near the building.
"Everyday American Muslims are confronted with bigotry and hate while commuting to work and school, applying for jobs, practicing their faith and simply living their lives,” said Anu Joshi, deputy director of the New York State Immigrant Action Fund.
Maggie Glass, a 31 year-old New Yorker active with a Jewish refugee association, said she was there "to support all our Muslim neighbors and friends.”
"I just thought it was an opportunity for us to come together as a community, to show that we are united.”
The event comes several days after Trump also issued a statement, wishing "all Muslims a joyful Ramadan.”
However his message was laced with warnings against terror and violence, even mentioning the recent bombing at a concert in the British city of Manchester. He called out the "perverted ideology” of the ISIL-linked attackers deemed responsible for the bombing.
The Republican president has also been criticized for using an Islamophobic rethoric during his presidential campaign.
Last week, it became public that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson turned down a request to hold a Ramadan event at his department, breaking with a 20-year-old tradition observed by both Democrats and Republicans, Presstv reported.
On Friday, Tillerson marked the beginning of Ramadan in a statement, describing it as "a month of reverence, generosity, and self-reflection."
All US state secretaries have hosted Ramadan events at the department since 1999, the year then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright held the first event.
"To be honest with you, even if they did, I would ask Muslims not to endorse an administration that is acting so divisively,” event organizer Linda Sarsour said.
"So they are not inviting us, but we don't want to go anyway.”
Your Comment