Religious Leaders of Chicago Condemn Arizona's Immigration Law
by Connie Martin
Invited by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha, Imam and Associate Director of the Mosque Foundation, joined dozens of religious leaders at Holy Name Cathedral  in downtown Chicago to condemn Arizona’s new immigration law. The new immigration crackdown allows local law enforcement to use a person's physical appearance as a factor in determining if they are legal or not, and makes it a state crime to lack immigration paperwork. The law is scheduled to go into effect in July.
As Imam Kifah Mustapha led the opening prayer, he said, “Our Lord, let every pen signing legislation write from the ink of Justice. Let every eye of a law enforcement person see others under the light of equality. Let every word spoken on behalf of immigration reform be chanted on the melodies of dignity and honor. We pray to keep our families together around the table of freedom. We pray for tears of joy and unity not those of pain and separation.”
Imams, Priests, and Rabbis joined the peaceful demonstration, holding frames around their faces while saying "It could be me" to show that anyone can suffer from this law. Religious leaders also condemned the profiling component of the Arizona law, with some describing how they personally had been profiled in the past. They also called on the Federal Government to freeze the deportations of immigrants convicted of misdemeanors.
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