ALLENTOWN, Pa.— Around 400 people, many of the Islamic faith, came to practice a group prayer session in center city early Friday afternoon. The event featured speakers from both Muslim and other backgrounds between prayers, all with the common goal of asking for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The event featured multiple Salah prayers, a common ritual practiced by Muslims that features bows, prostrations, and sacred speech, performed on a prayer rug. It is traditionally done facing east, the direction of the Kaaba.
Though a handful of those in attendance held up signs that read "Free Palestine," the event was more focused on "prayer is a protest," according to one of the speakers, An-isa Muqtadir. She said that openly practicing Islamic traditions in public in the U.S. is in itself a radical thing to do.
"Our very existence here is a renaissance," she added.
One of the emcees and organizers was Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, who runs a Muslim-focused civil rights group the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Philadelphia. Tekelioglu said the gathering in Allentown was not about retaliation, but peace.
"One of the ideas behind this this event was to bring our community together, to give them some of the tools that they can continue to use in their advocacy towards standing for peace and humanity, including in Palestine," Tekelioglu said.
Other groups involved in the event included the Islamic Society of Greater Allentown, a charity group called 3 Puerto Rican Imams and several mosques from across the Valley.
Praying for a permanent cease-fire
In the days leading up to the public prayer service in Allentown, a temporary cease-fire was announced, and the first round of hostages were freed between Hamas and Israel.
Nevertheless, many gathered said there is more work to do for a lasting peace.
"What we are seeing is our Jewish community members, Christian community members, members of the Christian churches in Palestine, that are calling for a sustained ceasefire," Tekelioglu said. "What we feel is happening right now is not enough."
Standing near the back of the rows of Islamic practitioners were a mother and daughter, Fazia and Imaan Khan.
Eight-year-old Imaan said she worries that people are breaking international law.
"I want the war to stop because it's not right," Imaan said. "They should be fighting the military, not the innocent people."
Imaan said she gets most of the information about the war from her mother, who makes an effort to explain it to her in kid-friendly, fair language.
"I want the war to stop because it's not right."Imaan Khan, age 8
"I get scared sometimes because I don't know what's happening," Imaan said, and added that she hasn't been taught anything about the situation in school.
The event ended with a traditional call-to-prayer, and was followed by a dinner that all were invited to, at a local Mosque.
