The Chicago Anti-Bashing Network (CABN) invites you to join a contingent in SOLIDARITY with our Arab and Muslim neighbors at this year's Gay Pride Parade. CABN is a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) direct action organization dedicated to fighting for civil rights and ALL communities as well as our own, and we invite you to join us in this important struggle, regardless of your sexual orientation. Help us send a message opposing hate to the thousands of people at the parade by joining our contingent.

Currently Arabs, Muslims and South Asians face a host of attacks including:

* Violence against houses of worship and community centers, such as the arson attacks on Chicago’s Arab American Community Center and the Assyrian Church on Lawrence Avenue

* People “detained” – imprisoned – without criminal charges, or evidence and denied bail. Such detainees include Pastor Rabih Haddad, who was imprisoned at the federal jail in downtown Chicago

* Government destruction of charitable organizations through confiscation of assets, despite no criminal charges, such as Bridgeview's Global Relief Foundation

In the face of such hate and discrimination against Arabs, Muslims and South Asians, words are not good enough. If we, as GLBT people, are going to ask non-GLBT people to support our struggles, it is incumbent upon us to give active solidarity to the Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities now that they are under attack.

Some in the GLBT community suggest that Muslims under attack are not worthy of GLBT support, given the anti-gay and-women records of many Middle Eastern regimes. But most Middle Eastern people have little say in the dictatorships which rule them, and most of these anti-gay/anti-woman dictatorships are actively supported by the US government. Muslim communities, like our own, have diverse political opinions--some reactionary, some gay-friendly, not to mention the opinions of those people who are both gay and Muslim.

Our solidarity with Muslims, Arabs and South Asians facing racist attacks in no way compromises our commitment to GLBT liberation. We march in the belief that rights and freedom should not be narrowly limited to our community—-for freedom to mean anything, it has to apply to everyone.

...And Our Solidarity Should Not be Limited by National Borders

The Bush administration and its allies in both major parties are transparently preparing another war in the Middle East. The excuse this time is Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction - despite the fact that the U.S. is the primary promoter of mass destruction in the region, through its killing more than 500,000 Iraqis through sanctions, its killing of over 3000 Afghani civilians (as well as combatants, reluctant or otherwise), and its use of Israel as a proxy to kill thousands of Palestinians using American money and high-tech weaponry.

The true goal of a new war isn't to defend the U.S. or fight for freedom, but instead, to further American domination of the resources and people of the Middle East and Central Asia. Therefore our contingent will have an anti-war theme as well.

We invite you to join our Pride Parade contingent by meeting us at 11 am, Sunday, June 30th on the northeast corner of Halsted & Diversey. For more information, please check out our new website: www.CABN.org Or call 888.471.0874 and leave a message, or e-mail CABNstopthehate (at) aol.com