|
Together against International Al Quds Day!
An Appeal Against Islamic Extremism, Anti-Semitism and Against Threats to Israel.
For Democracy and Human Rights in Iran!
In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini called for an annual event on the last Friday of the Islamic fast month of Ramadan to demonstrate for the "liberation" of Jerusalem and the destruction of Israel. Since then, the so-called Al Quds-Day, a state-organized propaganda demonstration, has been held annually in Teheran, a Hezbollah military parade has been held in Beirut and demonstrations have been held worldwide – this year on October 20. In Berlin, where the demonstration is planned for Saturday, October 21, the organizers have in recent years traded in their anti-Semitic messages for more measured slogans, due to public protests. But on Al Quds Day 2005, the new Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, repeated vociferously Khomeini's call for the destruction of Israel, and has emerged as a Holocaust denier and new worldwide hero of radical Islamists and neo-Nazis.
We the undersigned have different opinions on the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. But we join in rejecting all attacks on the rights of Israel to exist and we stand up for a peaceful, two-state solution acceptable to both sides. The Iranian regime is doing everything it can to prevent such a solution. It not only verbally calls for the destruction of Israel but supports and finances suicide attacks against Israelis and arms Hezbollah with rockets. The Iranian regime shamelessly instrumentalises the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the backs of the Palestinian people, in order to stabilize its own dictatorship and build an international basis of power.
We condemn the anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli baiting of the Iranian regime as well as the extreme human rights abuses committed in and by Iran for 27 years:
• The torture and murder of tens of thousands of dissidents, including in the 1992 attack on the Berlin Restaurant „Mykonos" and recently with the 200 prisoners on a hunger strike,
& The disenfranchisement of women and the execution of homosexuals
& The oppression of women's movements, student movements and union movements
& The repression and disenfranchisement of ethnic minorities such as the Iranian Kurds and the Ahwazi-Arabs, and
& The persecution of religious minority groups, particularly the Bahai
Iran is an Islamist dictatorship. We are standing with those Iranians who long for democracy and human rights and who want to live in peace with the world community.
We also oppose all discrimination against people of Muslim belief or immigrant background. This is no cultural war against Islam, but a common political opposition to Islamic extremism and religiously justified violence. Al Quds Day and the Islamist ideology are also an attack on the universality of human rights and thus an attack on us all – whether in Iran, in Afghanistan, in Israel and the Palestinian territories, in Turkey or in Berlin.
We are therefore calling for a protest demonstration on October 21 2006 against International Al Quds Day in Berlin and request broad support for this appeal.
For more information: www.gegen-al-quds-tag.de
Contact in support of the appeal: info@gegen-al-quds-tag.de
The Berlin Alliance against the international Al Quds Day:
Schohreh Baddii, exiled Iranian
Arne Behrensen, Political Scientist, Berlin
Ahmet Dag, Kurdistan Consortium at the Free University of Berlin
Claudia Dantschke and Ali Yildirim, AYPA-TV
Aycan Demirel and Elif Kayi, Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism
Gerlinde Gerber, Youth Forum of the German Israeli Society Berlin
Siamend Hajo, European Center for Kurdish Studies
Nikoline Hansen, Union of the Persecuted under the Naziregime Berlin
Meggie Jahn, German Israeli Society
Anetta Kahane, Amadeu Antonio Foundation
Coommittee for the Support of Political Prisoners in Iran, Berlin
Hamid Nowzari, Executiv Committee of the Association of Iranian Refugees in Berlin
Udo Wolter, Alliance against Antisemitism Berlin
Thomas Uwer, Association for Crisis Assistance and Development Co-operation
Maja Loeffler (Coordination)
First Subscriber:
1. Sharon Adler, publisher of “AVIVA-online –Online Magazine for Women”
2. Dogan Akhanli, publicist, Cologne
3. Fevi Aktas, “Society for Kurdistinian Culture and Support, registered association”, Berlin
4. Action “Reconciliation Service for Peace, registered association”
5. American Jewish Committee Berlin Office
6. Seyran Ates, advocate, Berlin
7. Evrim Baba, Member of the Berlin House of Representatives (Left Wing Party.PDS)
8. Merhan Barati
9. Nasrin Bassiri, freer journalist and publicist, Berlin
10. Marieluise Beck, Member of the Bundestag (League 90/The Green Party)
11. Niloofar Beyzaie, theater writer and director, Frankfurt/Main
12. Thomas Birk, Member of the Berlin House of Representatives (League 90/The Green Party), spokesman for Lesbian and Gay Policy
13. Hans Branscheidt, „Mesopotamian Development Company /EUTCC“, Oberursel
14. Micha Brumlik, professor for Educational Science, Frankfurt/Main
15. Michael S. Cullen, historian for construction and publicist, Berlin
16. Parviz Dastmalci, Berlin/New York
17. Sara Dehkordi, Berlin
18. Ayse Demir, board member at „Turkish Alliance Berlin-Brandenburg“
19. Ali M.S. Fatemi, dean of “Graduate School of Business, American University of Paris”
20. Jochen Feilcke, Member of the Bundestag (Christian Democratic Union, retired), chairperson of German-Israeli Community Berlin
21. Ralf Fücks, board of directors Heinrich Böll-Foundation, Berlin
22. Johannes Gerster, Member of the Bundestag (Christian Democratic Union, retired), vice president of Israel-German Community
23. Kerstin Griese, Member of Bundestag (Social Democratic Party), commissioner for churches and religious matters of this fraction
24. Parvaneh Hamidi, cabaret artist, Cologne
25. Till Heyer-Stuffer, county chairperson League 90/The Green Party Berlin
26. Chaukeddin Issa, chairperson of the “Community for Kurds from Syria in Berlin-Brandenburg, registered association”
27. Ahmet Iyidirli (Social Democratic Party, Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg), federal chairperson of the „Federation of Turkish Social Democrats´ Folk Associations”
28. Johannes Kandel, scientist for politics, Berlin
29. Navid Kermani, scientist for Orientalism and writer, Cologne
30. Sanem Kleff, educationalist, Berlin
31. Martin Kloke, editor for school books and publicist, Berlin
32. Kenan Kolat, federal chairperson of the “Turkish Community in Germany”, Berlin
33. Sigmount Königsberg, office manager for the “Assembly of Representatives of the Jewish Community at Berlin”
34. Gabriele Lademann-Priemer, sects commissioner of the Church for the Northern Region of the river Elbe, Hamburg
35. Manfred Lahnstein, retired Member of the Bundestag and Federal Minister (Social Democrat Party), President of the German-Isreali Community
36. Markus Löning, Member of the Bundestag (Liberals) and county chairperson in Berlin
37. Ali Mahdjoubi, Berlin
38. Jerzy Montag, Member of the Bundestag (League 90/The Green Party), chairperson of the “German-Israeli Parliamentarian Group”
39. Kerstin Müller, Member of the Bundestag (League 90/The Green Party), spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs
40. Özcan Mutlu, Member of the Berlin House of Representatives (League 90/The Green Party), spokesman for Education Policy
41. Dirk Niebel, Member of the Bundestag and secretary general of the Liberals
42. Hamid Nowzari, “Society of Iranian Refugees in Berlin, registered association”
43. Peter von der Osten-Sacken, „Institute for Judaism and Church“, Berlin
44. Bilkay Öney, Member of the Berlin House of Representatives (League 90/The Green Party)
45. Cem Özdemir, Member of the European Parliament (League 90/The Green Party)
46. Petra Pau, Member of the Bundestag (Left Wing Party.PDS), Vice President of the Bundestag
47. Petra Rosenberg, chairperson of the “National Association of German Sinti and Romanies Berlin-Brandenburg”
48. Lea Rosh, Publicist, Berlin
49. Claudia Roth, Member of the Bundestag and federal chairwoman of League 90/The Green Party
50. Mohammed Schams, translator, Berlin
51. Albert Scherr, professor at the Educational Academy in Freiburg
52. Arkadi Schneidermann, deputy chairperson of the Jewish Community in Berlin
53. Eberhard Seidel, publicist, Berlin
54. Walter Sylten, “Consortium of the Organisations in Berlin for Haunted People by the National Socialists (NS)”
55. Hakan Tas, journalist, Berlin
56. Sylke Tempel, publicist, Berlin
57. Almuth Tharan, county chairperson (League 90/The Green Party) in Berlin
58. Ali Ertan Toprak, secretary general of the “Alevitian Community in Germany, registered association”
59. Bernd Wagner, “Center for Democratical Culture”, Berlin
60. Sascha Wenzel, 2nd managing director of „Local Workplaces for Foreigner Affairs, Juvenile Labour and School, registered association” in Berlin
61. Turgut Yüksel, Frankfurt/M
62. Maya Zehden, managing director of the “Company for Christian-Jewish Cooperation”
|
|
|