March Against Oakland Liquor Stores - January 28, 2006

Muslims, Christians and Jews Unite this Sunday to save Oakland...
Please come out and support this important event.In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the MostMercifulMuslims For Healthy CommunitiesThe Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God beupon him, said Truly Allah has cursed khamr (alcohol)and the one who produces it, the one for whom it isproduced, the one who drinks it, the one who servesit, the one who carries it, the one for whom it iscarried, the one who sells it, the one who earns fromthe sale of it, the one who buys it, and the one forwhom it is bought.(al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud)

***Saturday, Jan. 28th**** Gather at 11:00am Defremery Park in Oakland (1651Adeline, between 17th &18th)* March to Frank Ogawa Plaza/City Hall (in front ofCity Hall at 14th St. & Broadway)* Prayer & Rally at 12:30pm at Frank Ogawa Plaza(bring your own prayer rug)This is an effort to address the issue of Muslim-ownedliquor stores and the general proliferation ofalcohol- outlets in poor communities.

Well over 80% of the 350 liquor stores in Oakland are owned or operatedby Muslims. This march and rally is a mobilization ofour community to send a strong message that we areoutraged by the destructive and misrepresentativeactions of our coreligionists and that wejoin allies from other groups in the struggle tocreate healthy and enriching neighborhoods. It is onestep of many that are being and will be taken toaffect a long-term and lasting redress of this issue.Organized and endorsed by a Coalition of Concerned Bay Area Muslims

For more information: call 510-868-8318, or emailmuslims4hc [at] emailus.org.

Come out and support this effort to make a healthycontribution to the communities in which we live.MUSLIM-OWNED LIQUOR STORES Not in Our NameSpeakers:Imam Faheem Shuaibe, Imam Zaid Shakir, Dr. HatemBazianImam Abu Qadir al-Amin, Dr. Mohammad Rajabally, & many others.

Mission Statement:One of the most unfortunate problems facing Muslim stoday is the fact that in some of the nations poorestneighborhoods, the majority of liquor store owners are Muslim.

This has done immense damage to the image of Islam and Muslims, especially since these are the very communities that have historically been most receptiveto the message of Islam.

The human cost is even greater. Alcohol consumption isthe third leading cause of death in this country (over85,000 deaths per year); it is a major factor indomestic and teen violence; and it is often the firstdrug for those whose lives are eventually destroyed bydrugs. Many of these liquor stores are nexuses forother forms of destructive vices in the community suchas drug peddling, pornography, gambling, and fencing(the buying and selling of stolen goods).

Rarely found in more affluent neighborhoods, these stores, withtheir easy access to liquor, exacerbate the poverty,despair, immorality, and oppression that has lead tothe destruction of legions of young lives in poor residential communities.

In Oakland, the animosity generated towards Muslims involved in this cursed trade recently lead tovigilante activity. While we do not condone suchactions, this was a wakeup call for many concernedMuslims. Now is the time to let the community knowthat Islam does not condone this filthy trade. Now isthe time for us to join those who have been strugglingfor years to stop this exploitative business. Nowis the time for action.We declare and affirm unequivocally that the religionof Islam categorically prohibits any Muslim fromengaging in the sale of alcohol, without exception orcompromise.We call on all Bay Area Muslims to join us in aneffort to end this scourge that is destroying some ofour most underprivileged neighborhoods.

Our campaign begins with:Friday, January 20, 2006 - A Jumuah of Consciousness:We call on all Bay Area Masjids to address the issueof alcohol, its strong prohibition in Islam, and itssocial destructiveness.Saturday, January 28, 2006 - Taking It To the Streets:A march that mobilizes the community to send a strongmessage that we are outraged by the destructive,immoral and haram actions of our coreligionists, andthat we join allies from other groups in theirstruggle to rid our communities of this exploitativeinstitution. Flyers advertising the march will bedistributed at the previous Jumuah, Insha Allah.

In the long term, we will be networking with community activists to help develop alternative models ofeconomic development, dialoguing with liquor storeowners to urge them to embrace these alternatives,appealing for changes in local and state policies andregulations in regard to liquor stores in poorercommunities, assisting in community education andempowerment initiatives, and initiating other measuresthat are needed to affect a long-term and lastingredress of this issue.