Muslims And Jews ‘Unite Against Hatred’ After Another Jewish Cemetery Is Vandalized
February 27, 2017
Muslim activists rally to donate funds, assist in cleanup after Jewish grave site in Pennsylvania desecrated.
(REPORT) — Muslim activists rallied again to help repair another Jewish cemetery vandalized over the weekend, this time in Pennsylvania, where at least 100 gravestones were toppled.
The president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA visited the Mount Carmel Cemetery in the northeast part of the city on Sunday and expressed solidarity and condolences to local Jewish leaders.
“We are deeply troubled by these rising and ongoing attacks on our Jewish sisters and brothers, and members from our Philadelphia chapter are in route to assist in clean up,” said Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, the group’s national vice president. “We call upon all Americans to stand united against this hatred and extremism.”
The incident was reported on Sunday after a man visiting the cemetery found that three of his relatives’ headstones had been knocked over. While police estimated 100 markers were vandalized, cleanup crews reported at least 500.
It drew immediate comparison to the desecration of the historic Chesed Shel Emeth Society Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri just days prior.
Tarek El-Messidi, who helped raise funds for that site, along with well-known activist and organizer Linda Sarsour, pledged to donate leftover proceeds from the effort to help with repairs and restoration at Mount Carmel, the Washington Post reported Monday.
El-Messidi also visited the gravesite, where he saw a diverse group of people working to erect the masses of toppled gravestones.
“Seeing this in person was very devastating,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “Many people there were embracing one another in tears due to what they saw. I want to ask all Muslims to reach out to your Jewish brothers and sisters and stand together against this bigotry.”
