The day before yesterday, I posted a 16 point plan by The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. The plan is an attempt to silence the critics of Islam by scaring us off by using the term “Islamophobia”. Today we learn of another one of their plans. The one in which they want to try to severely curtail liquor sales in Chicago. Of course they do not care what non-Muslims want.
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago has put a grant in place for African-American and Arab Muslims in order to encourage Muslims to stop selling liquor. The Inner City Muslim Action Network has set up a loan program to help fund and provide these guilt-ridden owners with fresh produce and other healthy goods by supporting the bill of Illinois Fresh Food Fund. This bill would serve neighborhoods where grocery outlets are scarce. In turn, the store owners would be surrounded by better company. Executive director of the Inner City Muslim Action Network, Rami Nashashibi said in a World Wide Religious News Report, “These stores became associated with a lot of the most negative and oppressive characteristics you would want to be associated with.”
According to a news report, Chicago has roughly 3,000 Muslim-owned liquor stores. Although alcohol has been deemed haraam or forbidden, many liquor storeowners defend themselves by saying they only promote the products, but do not consume them. Islamic scholar and UC Berkeley professor, Hatem Bazian explained, “The rationalization runs the gamut. Some say, well, I’m not drinking, and so it just says they try to play games with the text. Some would just say, well, I’m not living in an Islamic society. So you can’t hold me to Islamic principles. Third, they say, I am here as an American citizen, and I’m just engaging in business in America.” There are many ways to justify the situation, but either way, the community grows angry.
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