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July 23, 2004 Prayer Service for Farouk 1. 7/24 SAT, 10 am: Prayer Service for FaroukA Memorial and Prayer Service to Honor and Commemorate the Passing of Our Beloved Brother Farouk Abdel-Muhti
When: Saturday, July 24, 2004 at 10 am Open to the public; everyone welcome. Appropriate attire required (no shorts or short skirts; upper arms and shoulders should be covered; women are asked to cover their hair). For more information, please contact:
Tarek Abdel-Muhti, 718-491-0321 We will be holding another memorial for Farouk in the future, probably in August. We will notify you as soon as plans are confirmed. ========================================= 2. Donations for funeral expenses Donations are requested to help cover funeral expenses. Please make checks payable to CHRI (Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants), write "Farouk" on the memo line, and send to CHRI, 330 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012. (Any excess funds will go toward work against immigration detention and toward assistance for Farouk's family.) These contributions are not tax-deductible. ========================================= 3. 7/26 MON: Honor Farouk with solidarity for detainees Farouk was a fighter who spoke out--literally to his last hour--for the rights of immigrants and for peace with justice in Palestine. There is no better way we can honor his memory than by carrying on his work. We are asking you to take a few minutes on Monday, July 26, 2004, to remember Farouk by making phone calls or faxing letters in support of two other immigration detainees: Pakistani immigrant Ansar Mahmood, currently held in Batavia, NY, and Salim Yassir, a Palestinian who has been held in the Elizabeth Detention Center in NJ for four years. Immigration authorities undermined Farouk's health by holding him unlawfully for two years; let's work to stop them from doing the same to other immigrants. For Ansar Mahmood: Call the office of Department of Homeland Security head Tom Ridge at 202-282-8000 and ask him not to deport Ansar Mahmood. Ansar was a legal resident in the Hudson Valley area arrested soon after 9/11 because he wanted a photo of local scenery to send back to family in Pakistan; the scenery included a reservoir. After establishing that Ansar was not in fact a terrorist, the government used minor violations under rarely enforced immigration laws as a pretext for ordering Ansar's deportation. His supporters, along with a number of members of Congress, have asked Homeland Security to grant Ansar deferred action status, which would permit him to stay in the US and return to his job as a pizza delivery person. In addition, contact your senator and/or representative and ask them to put pressure on Mr. Ridge to stop Ansar's deportation. (Call 1-800-839-5276). For more information: Bob Elmendorf, 518-766-2992, poetapoetus@earthlink.net, http://www.chathampeace.org For Salim Yassir: Fax: John Tsoukaris, United States Department of Homeland Security US-ICE Headquarters Post-Order Detention Unit, fax # 202-353-9435 Ask him to release Salim Yassir (A78 820 978) since there is no possibility of his removal from the US. Both Israel and the PLO have confirmed in writing that, pursuant to the Oslo Accords, Salim is ineligible for repatriation into the territories or Israel proper. He has two sponsors who will provide him with housing, job training/assistance and food and will take responsibility to ensure that he obeys any terms of supervised release. For more information and a sample letter: contact Teresa Woods, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc, 973-733-3516 X208, clinicteresa@aol.com or Joshua Bardavid, Law Office of Theodore N. Cox, 212-925-1208, JEB7006@aol.com
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Posted by aderkon on July 23, 2004 04:42 PM
Comments With much regets we lose important people like Farouk. |