Cease-fire Gives Muslims Pause

Mideast Peace, U.s. Goals Doubted

March 02, 1991|By Constanza Montana and Melita Marie Garza.

Chicago-area Muslims expressed some relief Friday at the cease-fire in the Persian Gulf war but said they doubted a lasting peace had been created in the Mideast.

Some also expressed continuing mistrust of the United States.

They were interviewed after Juma services, held every Friday, the holy day of the Muslim week.

At the Muslim Community Center, 4380 N. Elston Ave., a funeral prayer for war victims ended the service.

About 1,000 Muslims, mostly of Indian, Pakistani and Palestinian descent, stood facing east in their stocking feet as the khateeb, or lecturer, speaking in Arabic, remembered the untold number of dead who have been slain in the Persian Gulf war.

``It is not in the dictionary of Islam to say, `I am frustrated,` `` said lecturer Yousif Mohammad. ``It is in the dictionary of Islam to say, `I`m starting again.` From this a spark will start.``

Mohammad Jarad, a Palestinian grocery store owner from the North Side, said he was comforted that a cease-fire had been declared.

His brother, a U.S. soldier, was sent to Saudi Arabia in January.

``Everyone had to support the troops,`` he said. ``But how can I support my brother to kill my brother?`` he said, referring to the fact that Muslims fought on both sides in the war.

Ziad Mohamad, a Palestinian college student, was not sure a lasting peace had been achieved.

Mohamad said he fears that the United States may use the war to suit its political and economic needs.

He also said, ``This divided the Muslims in the Arab world. It needs many, many years before we can even start talking to each other.``

Mohamad also said he is concerned the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains unsettled, but he said he doubted the peace negotiators in the latest war would address that issue seriously.

Muslim worshipers gathered also in the Islamic Center on Potter Road in Des Plaines on Friday and prayed for peace.

Dr. Musa Qutub, imam of the center, told the group that, as they prayed, wars were raging in 42 other countries.

Mohamed Qureshi, a Des Plaines electrician, said many Muslims are distressed that it took only two months to resolve the situation in Kuwait, while he said the United States has allowed the Palestinian situation to fester for 23 years.

Mohamed Iqubal, president of the center, said: ``It`s a good beginning. We want to see peace, not just for our religions but for mankind and all religions which trace their origin to that region.``

Esa Abdullah said, ``One thing the U.S. needs to learn from this is that they need to support just rulers, not unjust ones. They supported (Ferdinand) Marcos in the Philippines. . . . They supported the Shah of Iran. . . . They supported Hussein and it came back to haunt them.

``How many times are they going to do this before the U.S. realizes that it`s wrong?``

Wazir Ali said he was saddened because it seems that the main lesson the U.S. has taken from the war is that their weapons worked.

``It has encouraged the worship of technology,`` Ali said.

``Now that they know their weapons of destruction worked, they will spend more and more on armaments and less and less on the welfare of the people where it`s needed.``