PRESS RELEASE:

Announcement of Jerusalem as Capital of the Jewish State Inflames Tensions in the Middle East

In response to news reports regarding President Trump's intent to announce Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State, and the plans to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem, the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects has put out the following:

The Holy City of Jerusalem has been, and will continue to be, the Arab capital of our beloved Palestine and one of the most revered cities in Islam. It is therefore above politicization, and certainly above being used as a chess piece for political gain or as a media distraction.

The Association of Islamic Charitable Projects sends its condolences to the family of Muhammad Ali. Whether inside the ring fighting top-ranked boxers, or outside the ring fighting social injustice, and later in his life, Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali fought fearlessly.

In 1967-- in the prime of his boxing career-- Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavy-weight crown for his refusal to be inducted into the draft and go to Vietnam to kill people who never caused him any harm. Muhammad Ali, rather, chose to be a vocal opponent of the prevalent racism here in America. After several years of appealing his case in court, Muhammad Ali was once again allowed to box, and a few years later, he regained the heavy-weight crown from George Foreman.

Muhammad Ali, in spite of his growing notoriety, remained a “people’s champ.” His very presence was inspiring. He was inspiring, for he was an athlete who expressed the sentiments of the disadvantaged and oppressed, and Muhammad Ali was willing to sacrifice his career on the basis of moral principles. Many of us could take lessons from that.

We supplicate to Allah to grant his family and the country the patience over the passing away of Muhammad Ali. Indeed we belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return.

On behalf of the AICP communities worldwide, we extend our deep condolences to the families of the victims in Egypt.

AICP has been warning against extreme and misguided ideologies for decades. The Wahhaby and ‎the socalled Muslim Brotherhood ideologies are among the most ‎dangerous and misguided groups that terrorize our world today.

Once again, we call on all Muslims to unite against extremism by learning the authentic creed to differentiate between the true teachings of our religion and extremism. Our centers are open worldwide. Let us work together to rid our nation from the dangers of misguided ideologies.

May Allah grant the Muslims in Egypt the patience to endure this calamity and protect them from the evil of terrorism.

With great sorrow, we received the news of the heinous ambush of officer Jesse Hartnett in West Philadelphia yesterday. Our minds are with the Officer Hartnett and his family, the residents of the City of Philadelphia, and the American community at large. We all stand united in dealing with the pain of this calamity as well as in our strong and unwavering stance in denouncing and combating terrorism. We unequivocally denounce these extremist actions and the underlying misguided ideologies that endorse this blind violence that cannot be accepted under any nomenclature or religious pretext. Lastly, we ask Allah to grant the nation and the City of Philadelphia safety from every evil and we pray and wish officer Jesse Hartnett a quick recovery.