MASON, Ohio — The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza.
"From our standpoint, we're here again," said Amina Barhumi Executive Director of CAIR-Ohio. "We call an end to the bombing and call on an immediate ceasefire. The United States must be part of efforts for de-escalation."
At a news conference held Wednesday at CAIR's office in Mason, Laila Shaikh, a Palestinian-American, joined Barhumi and others to speak about the current situation.
"We have many family and friends, I have friends who all of their families live in Gaza who are just purely devastated," Shaikh said.
Shaikh called the lack of information coming out of Gaza troubling, describing the conversations she's had with friends at UC who have friends and family in Gaza.
"Not being able to get any sort of communication, any sort of contact and just saying that they're lost," Shaikh said. "They could be lost under the rubble. They could be one of the bodies that haven't been found yet."
As they worry for their loved ones, Shaikh said she and other local Palestinian-Americans are experiencing increased Islamophobia and discrimination.
"I'm a first-generation Palestinian-American — I was born and raised here — so for people to look at me in a dehumanizing sense and just like, I've especially felt it in the last 48 hours, it's very frustrating," she said.
Wednesday evening the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati hosted Palestinians from around the Tri-State and their allies for a closed-door meeting of prayer and reflection that organizers said attracted 600 to 700 attendees.
ICGC Honorary Board Member Ashraf Traboulsi said the attendance left attendees standing in the aisles and was a larger gathering than he'd seen in his 21 years at the Islamic Education Center.
Outside of the event, ICGC member Amena Sheikh said she came to be with others who're constantly worried Israel's retaliatory strikes into Gaza might find her family members on the southern side of the strip.
"95% of my family is in Palestine right now," she said.
Sheikh said a significant amount of solace came from being around people who were going through the same struggles she has been since tensions reignited in a significant way Saturday.
"It's a very traumatic time for a lot of people," she said. "We are just here to support each other and stay strong."
Traboulsi said he believes the latest clashes between Hamas and Israel have deep roots, and said violence begets violence. He mourned for the Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire.
"I'm not speaking of any special group, but the people in Palestine, specifically in Gaza, are facing the fourth most powerful army in the world. They are being bombed by the most advanced weapons in the world, and they have no recourse. Zero," Traboulsi said.
Members of the Jewish community are also worrying for their loved ones. Ariela Kurtzer attended an Israeli solidarity rally Tuesday.
"I have, we both have family and friends there," she said standing next to her sister, Lauren Kurtzer.
"I have a couple of friends in the IDF and am just making sure they’re OK. I mean, when it was really bad on Saturday night, I was checking in every hour just to make sure that they’re alive and safe and it was very nervewracking," Ariela Kurtzer said.
She's joining pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups in calling for an end to the violence.
"These are lives that are being taken from both angles and both sides and we just don’t want anyone being hurt," she said.
And while the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati said it's not seeing a rise in antisemitism yet, many in the community have expressed concerns about the possibility. At Cincinnati City Council Wednesday, leaders passed a resolution in support of the Israeli people.
"We need to be clear, that we unequivocally condemn targeting innocent civilians," said council member Mark Jeffreys.
CAIR is asking elected officials to think about both their Palestinian-American constituents and Jewish constituents when talking about and taking action related to this war.
"We expect leaders to be problem solvers and to look at an issue not just at face value and ask what got us here," said Barhumi.
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