Anti-Israel Protest Scheduled on Erev Rosh Hashanah

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A local Muslim student group has planned an anti-Israel protest on erev Rosh Hashanah – the start of the Jewish New Year and High Holy Days period.

Organized by Al-Qasim Youth Group, the protest is scheduled to take place Friday, Sept. 18, from 3 to 5 p.m., outside the Israeli consulate office at Weslayan St. and U.S. Hwy. 59.

The protest has been billed as a “rally for justice, peace and the oppressed,” in commemoration of the “annual Day of Quds (Jerusalem).”
Objecting to Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, the observance has its origins in the bloody 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, and since has spread to countries outside the Middle East, including the United States.

“Day of Quds” traditionally takes place the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In some U.S. cities this year, however, “Day of Quds” protests took place earlier in the week, before the start of the Jewish New Year. The Houston event, planned on erev Rosh Hashanah, follows a local pattern of staging anti-Israel protests on Jewish holidays, usually Shabbat. This tactic has helped minimize counterdemonstrations from the Jewish community.

The Israeli consulate has become a singular destination of protest for Houston-based groups that claim to advocate for universal human rights and world peace. While all of these groups single out Israel for demonization, some often include anti-Semitic slogans and imagery in their protests.

Al-Qasim Youth Group operates under the auspice of the Islamic Education Center of Houston. Several of its members are students at University of Houston. The group’s Sept. 18 protest was promoted via the social networking website, Facebook.

Anti-Israel Protest Scheduled on Erev Rosh Hashanah

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Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) is not-for-profit [501 (C) (3)], grass-roots community of scholars who have united to promote honest, fact-based, and civil discourse, especially in regard to Middle East issues. We believe that ethnic, national, and religious hatreds, including anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism, have no place in our institutions, disciplines, and communities. We employ academic means to address these issues.

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