(New York, NY. 03/17/2021) – As this nation witnessed a tide in hatred and bigotry towards our fellow Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, we woke up to the unsettling news coming out of Atlanta, Georgia. At the time of writing this statement, eight people were murdered in a string of attacks on three massage parlors. Six of the victims were Asian-American women. This is not an accident. In fact, this is the climax of what many AAPI activists were warning about for the past year. We are deeply saddened by the news coming out of Georgia, and we are praying for the families of the victims.
However, our prayers are not devoid of action. We urge minority communities to unite in protecting one another, taking measures to secure each other, and to specifically protect AAPI communities. Across the country, AAPI communities are grieving and face real danger. We must continue to call out white supremacy wherever we see it and we call on elected officials to acknowledge and address this issue clearly. People’s lives are at stake.
Majlis Ash-Shura, an umbrella organization and representative of over 90 mosques and Muslim-led organizations in New York, mourns the eight lives lost. Moreover, we must remain resilient and united in this fight to protect Asian American and Pacific Islander communities from white supremacy, racism, and bigotry.