Oakland Muslims & Interfaith Community Rally for Peace and an End to Gun Violence
On October 10, 2015 two young men, Mohammad Sabeh and Mustafa Saleh, were killed on Foothill Boulevard in East Oakland. Their deaths brought the number of homicides in Oakland to 77 for the year, not to mention there have been at least 5 murders since. As the number of violent deaths in Oakland continues to increase, the greater Bay Area Muslim communities have largely remained silent and inactive on the issue of urban gun violence and violent loss of lives, mostly young, in Oakland and the surrounding cities.
We all want safety for our own children. In the truest spirit of Islam, it becomes incumbent upon Muslims then to desire the same for all young people and families and to stop turning a blind eye to violent killings in Oakland and beyond. With this in mind, an assortment of folks from the East Bay Muslim communities decided to end the silence on October 31, what would have been Mohammad Sabeh’s 23rd birthday. The action, a “stop the violence” rally, was initiated by the Lighthouse Mosque and joined by Jewish Voice for Peace, Hasana Academy and the Oakland Islamic Community Center.
After Dhuhr prayer in the park, Shaykh Abdul Karim Yahya started off the rally with a supplication for peace and security. He was followed by Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb who spoke about solidarity and peace and extended wishes of healing to the families of the slain youth. Other speakers addressed various topics: the negative impact of easy access to alcohol and guns, the need for a fearless and righteous leadership for young people and the importance of one-on-one mentoring for youth.
In conversation with Sundiata Rashid, one of the organizers of the event, I had asked what the goal of the rally was.
“We want young folks to know that if nobody else cares, we care,”
he told me. It seemed fitting that so many of the participants of the rally were children and adolescent youth. Even some young men, who were in the churchyard next door sat by the fence and listened in.
There was a tangible sense of unity, strength and patience. We walked under the scorching California sun together, gave each other water, said the names of the slain and shared our hopes of never having to come together to condemn another murder and mourn another dead young person in Oakland. As the march progressed through Fruitvale, singular voices shouting slogans of peace merged with the cacophony of horns honking their agreement. Children dressed in Halloween costumes held up peace signs and people nodded in acknowledgment. The rally was a sincere manifestation for care for ourselves and our neighbors. The fruit of this gathering: a connection with the larger movement for ending violence in Oakland and to the great human struggle for justice and peace.
It remains to be seen however how far the energy from coming together will carry the community in organizing around the issue of gun violence. Question is, how will we go about developing a fearless and righteous leadership for young people, especially in poor neighborhoods, how will we go about healing children’s hearts, building spiritual capital in them, and providing real, caring and long-term mentoring. We need to actively seek answers and implement change, otherwise despite all our prayers to not have to mourn another young person’s untimely and violent death, we might be gathering again soon to do the exactly that.
Join the Unity Jummah and Neighborhood Walk to End the Violence in Oakland on Friday, November 27th. For Details click the link below.
