if your organization for animal defence wishes to sign onto the statement,
contact us by following this link here.
please know that you are expected to donate a minimum of $5 directly to the
victims of the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center shooting or to your local mosque.
This is a statement of support from animal defenders everywhere who wish to vocalize our collective opposition to Islamophobia, in all its various expressions.
As communities of people who seek out justice for animals, we recognize a need to simultaneously condemn the inherent violence defining xenophobic hatred of Muslims.
The surge of Islamophobia under the banner of Trumpism is a terror not only for believers of Islam and residents of predominantly Islamic countries, but also communities of colour, refugees, migrants, and dark-skinned people generally.
But more, we will reaffirm our commitment to disrupting and destroying the white supremacy, colonial-capitalist domination and war-profiteering imperialism that defines so much of Western society. This means challenging every example of racism and ethno[euro]centric values that so often manifest within animal advocacy campaigns. We refuse to condone, enable and/or ignore the realities of those who suffer from “other-ing” because of anti-refugee, anti-immigrant and anti-Black ignorance.
Further, we promise to resist cultures of fear and state-sponsored media propaganda that would see us believe deportations, border policing, body policing and religious wars are any solutions to xenophobia.
We condemn the walls of hate and travel bans of ignorance that continue to endanger refugees, immigrants, migrant workers and asylum seekers looking for safety – on Indigenous lands stolen by colonization.
By reflecting on these statements, we aim to build upon our own local capacity as animal advocates to engage responsibly with Muslim communities and communities of colour in ways that are consensual and reflect the responsibilities we hold.
Sincerely,
Earthling Liberation Kollective 