By
Ryan Gabrielson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Demonstrators ask for peace, justice between Palestinian,
Mourning the loss of Palestinian lives during protests and fighting in Jerusalem, members of Tucson's Islamic community demonstrated on the UA Mall Friday.
"This is shame on everyone who lives in the 20th century," said Omar Shahin, director of the Islamic Center of Tucson. "Where's the outrage?"
More than 80 people have been killed in fighting between Palestinians and Israelis since Sept. 28. On Saturday, Israel gave an ultimatum to Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader, to end the fighting immediately or the peace talks will end.
About 140 members of the Islamic center occupied the east corner of the University of Arizona Mall, walking around the grass, holding signs, keeping silent.
"Another stone thrown, another child is shot," stated one sign held by a protester.
"The peace process has been derailed," said Muhammad As'ad, Islamic Center of Tucson spokesman. "We want justice, stop the killings."
Yom Kippur, Judaism's Day of Atonement, began at sundown yesterday and will end at sundown today and could cause at least a temporary stop in the fighting.
"No time of year do we support violence," said Michelle Blumenberg, director of the UA Hillel Foundation who watched the demonstration. "Violence is not going to help solve the problems. We hope all this violence ends soon."
The Islamic Center of Tucson has already collected $15,000 to purchase medical supplies for those wounded in the fighting.
"It's a human tragedy, it can happen anywhere," Shahin said.
The demonstrators chose to take their protest to the Mall because the dynamic they expected to find in a university setting.
"Students are open, willing to consider the alternatives," As'as said.
The demonstration began at 2 p.m. and was over by 3 p.m. when the protesters walked in line back to the Islamic center.
Associated Press reports contributed to this article.
