PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Local organizers for a national Islamic group seeking to counter the backlash from the publication of caricatures of Muhammad in Danish newspapers plan a town hall meeting as early as this weekend.
A definite time and location hasn’t been set, said Adeeba Al-Zaman, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, but the goal is to educate Americans about Muhammad.
The effort will include open houses at mosques, screenings of a documentary and panel discussions. The political cartoons have sparked protests, and the resulting attention provides “a teaching moment that should not be wasted,” Al-Zaman said.
The CAIR organization will team with local chapters of the Muslim American Society and Islamic Circle of North America to sponsor educational events, she said.