New York Interfaith Protest Against Jihad in Nigeria

A few dozen Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and non-sectarian organizations of mixed races held a protest against Jihad in Nigeria, in front of Nigeria’s UN Consulate in Manhattan, Wednesday evening. This was diversity at its most constructive and most American, including naturalized citizens who gratefully embraced their U.S. citizenship. They do not want what they fled to pursue them here.

Speakers expressed much religious fervor but also mutual tolerance. They described jihadist butchery of Christians in Nigeria in gruesome detail, with more righteous indignation and disgust than I’ve seen before.

The speakers were introduced by the event’s organizer, Beth Gilinsky of the Jewish Action Alliance. She’s been to Nigeria. She asked rhetorically where is the print and broadcast media. They not only ignore such rallies, but they fail to report atrocities sufficiently for audiences to understand the Radical Islamic barbarism and its threat to America. Various speakers warned that jihad already has moved against the U.S. within the U.S..

Rev. [Michel] Faulkner][running for the congressional seat now held by Charles Rangel] led off with a prayer. He and another minister urged God to intervene. Rev. Faulkner spent a decade trying to alert Americans to the religious genocide in Sudan. He hopes it takes less time for Nigeria.

People from Egypt, sub-Sahara Africa, India, Philippines, and Pakistan attested to the brutal violence of jihad in country after country. The theme was that global jihad must be stopped; it is up to us to unite to stop it.

There was ambivalence about the big question. The big question is whether jihad in its intolerance and violence is a creature of Radical Islam or whether supposed moderate Muslims quietly endorse it. We’ll cover this more in later parts of this series.

Endorsed by (partial list): ACT Manhattan, Aish Center, Alliance for Interfaith Resistance, American Maronite Union, Americans for a Safe Israel, Gary Bauer, President, American Values, Joy Brighton, Stop Shariah Now, Ann Buwalda, Executive Director, Jubilee Campaign USA, Dr. Phyllis Chesler Coptic Voices of America, Nonie Darwish, Arabs for Israel, Simon Deng, Sudan Freedom Walk Dr. William Donohue, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights; Satya Dosapati, Hindu Human Rights Watch; Eagles’ Wings Ministries; Amir A. Fakhravar, Confederation of Iranian Students; First Things; Free Copts; Brigitte Gabriel, ACT! for America; Frank Gaffney, Center for Security Policy; Getaneh M. Getaneh, Watch and Pray International Ministries; Beth Gilinsky, Action Alliance; Pamela Hall, NY — United American Coalition; Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam; Dr. Charles Jacobs; Narain Kataria and Arish Sahani, Indian American Intellectuals Forum; Niger Innis, Congress on Racial Equality; International Christian Concern: Jonathan Racho, Regional Manager for Africa; Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr., High Impact Leadership Coalition of Churches; Dr. Charles Jacobs, Americans for Peace and Tolerance; Andrea Lafferty, Traditional Values Coalition; James Lafferty, Virginia Anti-Shariah Taskforce; Dr. Herbert I. London, President, The Hudson Institute; Faith McDonnell, Director, Religious Liberty Programs, Institute on Religion and Democracy; Father Keith Roderick, General Secretary of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights Under Islamization; The Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; The Rev. David Runnion Bareford, the President of the Association for Church Renewal; Nina Shea as the Director of the Center for Religious Freedom; The Hudson Institute; Bhupinder Singh, Namdari Sikh Foundation; Never Again.com; Rabbi Aryeh Spero, Caucus For America; The Reverend Robert Stearns; Tom Trento, Florida Security Council; Women’s Freedom Movement of Pakistan; Women United: Code Red; Zionist Organization of America (partial list)

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