Muslim Peace March – How
to Organize
- Date – Try to choose a date that doesn’t conflict with any other important events. Sunday
mornings are good. We also try to choose a date in the month of September because we use the March as an
opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of September 11th. For 2009, we’re choosing
a date after Ramadan.
- Time – Choose a time of day that will be most suitable for the participants.
Weather and prayer times should be taken into consideration when choosing a time. You should set
aside 3 hours for the entire event. This includes setup time. In Austin, the march was
held in the morning because the heat is very uncomfortable in the afternoon.
- Location – Reserve a location.
The location should be a highly visible place where there will be ample room for crowds. The location
should also allow for easy access to electricity as you will likely need a sound system. State capitols
may be a good choice.
- Sound System – Rent a good quality sound system. You
may have access to someone that could provide a sound system at no charge. The cost of the sound system
used in the Austin Muslim Peace March was $500. A Microphone may be included in the package or the facility
you choose may provide a microphone. Make sure that the location you choose can handle the voltage requirements
of the sound system.
- Guest Speakers – 3 guest speakers given 5 to 10 minutes each to speak seems to work well. It’s
very important that the speakers are in alignment with the message that is trying to be conveyed. Choose
Muslim speakers that are well respected in your community or outside your community. It is important to
give potential speakers advance notice so start early on this mission.
- March Route – Choose a route
that is safe and not too long. In Austin, the route was about ¼ mile long and was walked twice.
The elderly should be considered. Try to stay on the sidewalks to avoid street closures.
The route should be in a highly visible area so picket signs can be seen. While marching, the participants
in the Austin peace march were asked to march in silence and take in the moment.
Sample Route Instructions (image of route should also be included)
Start at south steps of Capitol
March towards San Jacinto
Go South
on San Jacinto towards 11th Street
March West on 11th Street towards Colorado Street
March North on Colorado Street
March through the Southwest Gate of the Capitol
back to the south steps.
Note: Marchers will stay on sidewalk
- Police Protection
– Call the police in the area where the march is to be held and arrange for police protection. There
should be no charge if the route includes sidewalks only and no street closures. You should provide the
police department with an agenda and a drawing of the route you plan on taking.
- Picket Signs – Get the community
involved in this part. Purchase poster boards that are about ¼ inch thick. You
don’t want it to blow over. Purchase sticks to hold the poster boards at your local hardware store
(Home Depot or Lowes). The sticks should be about 4 ft in length. Choose sticks that
are comfortable to hold.
Use stencils. The
signs look so much better when stencils are used. You’ll need to purchase several packs of stencils
(A-Z) if there will be several people helping to make the signs.
Use markers that are bold. Permanent black markers work great. It’s
also nice to use bold colors. Outlining the letters in black helps to make the words stand out.
Use short phrases on the picket
signs. Have a committee come up with short phrases from the Qur’an and Hadiths or just be creative.
Just make sure the phrases are peaceful and positive. Here are some of the phrases used in Austin:
“Peace is the Way”, “Islam is Peace”, “Muslims for Peace”, “Love thy Neighbor”,
“Allah is Peace”. Feel free to use the same phrases multiple times. Not
everyone at the march needs to hold a sign. Use a 5 to 1 ratio guide. For every 5 people
at the march, there should be 1 sign.
Use a staple gun to secure the poster board on the sticks.
It was also very useful to have a large banner that read, “ISLAM IS PEACE”.
This banner was the centerpiece of the march. The participants at the front of the march carried
the banner. It was also held up by a couple of participants as a background while the guest speakers were
giving their speeches. Please refer to the website, www.muslimpeacemarch.org for images of the banner.
- Media Coverage – Choose someone to be the
media contact for the march. It is best to only have one media contact. Media coverage
is extremely important.
Start by creating a media advisory. Here’s an example.
Contact: John Doe, Event Organizer, Muslim Peace March
johndoe@yahoo.com 512.555.5555
For immediate release
September 21, 2009
What: Muslim Peace
March
Where: Texas State Capitol, South Steps
When: Sunday, September 27th, 2009,
beginning at 9AM
Why: To publicly denounce terrorism and to capture the true, peaceful
nature of Islam.
Who: Muslims from various parts of Texas. Non-Muslims
are also invited to attend.
For additional
information, see www.muslimpeacemarch.org
Speakers include: Imam Mohammed Umer of the North Austin Muslim Community Center, Azhar Shirazi-President of the Society for Islamic Awareness and Sister Sarwat Husain-President
of CAIR San Antonio. Interviews with the participants and speakers can be obtained in advance.
Next, create a press release. See example below.
Contact: John Doe, Event Organizer, Muslim Peace March
johndoe@yahoo.com 512.555.5555
For immediate release
September
24, 2009
Central Texas Muslims Announce a Muslim Peace March
Austin, Texas—Sharida McKenzie, Central Texas Muslim, announced today that a Muslim Peace March will be held on Sunday, September 27th
at 9:00am at the Capitol (South Steps). The purpose of the event is to provide a platform for Muslims
to publicly denounce terrorism and to capture the true, peaceful essence of Islam.
“It’s important
for Muslims to take a stand against terrorism. We want the world to know that Islam doesn’t condone
violence. Bottomline: we want the voices and actions of peaceful Muslims to resonate louder than the voices
and actions of terrorists,” McKenzie emphasized.
Muslims and non-Muslims are invited to attend the March.
The focus of the March is peace, love and tolerance. McKenzie has been working with Imam Mohamed-Umer
Esmail of the North Austin Muslim Community Center to gather support for the March. The guest speakers
include: Imam Mohamed-Umer Esmail, Azhar Sheraze-President of the Society for Islamic Awareness (representing the Shi’a
community) and Sarwat Husain-President of CAIR San Antonio.
For more information, please visit: www.muslimpeacemarch.org.
Put together a list of media contacts from your
local community. Obtain contact information from local television, newspaper and radio stations.
Send out the media advisory first (via e-mail). This should be sent out approximately a week before
the actual march. Send out the press release 2 business days before the march (via e-mail).
This serves as a reminder to the media. Follow up with phone calls to the weekend assignments editor.
Be sure there is an e-mail address and phone number on the media advisory
and press release. Do not send the media advisory or press release as an attachment in an e-mail.
Send it in text or rich text in the body of an e-mail. Attachments may not be open because of fear
of viruses.
- Media Packets
– On the day of the march, have packets on hand which includes the following: a page which identifies the guest speakers
of the event, with short bios and contact information; a page that names organization which have endorsed the event, with
a “bio” on the organization; a copy of the press release; and a description of what will be occurring at the march
(agenda). The packets should be handed to the media when they arrive.
- Water – Water should be
provided at the event. There is no need for food. You should have coolers that have
8 to 12 oz of bottled water.
- Moderator – Choose a moderator for the event. This
person introduces the event and keeps the audience informed. This person is also responsible for introducing
the guest speakers.
- Flyer – Create a flyer that invites people to attend the march. Make sure to include the
purpose of the event and the essential information (date, time, place, website). Also include a list of
the guest speakers. Pass the flyers out to local mosques and Muslim organizations.
- Gather Support –
This is extremely important. Get in touch with mosques and Muslim organizations throughout your state and
ask them to join you in the march. All committees should be responsible for spreading the word and getting
people to attend. This is an opportunity for Muslims to unite and represent Islam in a positive light.
- Committees –
Form committees and assign each committee tasks.
- Website – the website that people should be referred to is www.muslimpeacemarch.org. Once you are ready to spread the word about your local event, send
an e-mail to sharida162@yahoo.com with the details (date, time, place) and the event details will be updated on the main
website.
- Agenda – Put together an agenda for your event. Below is an example:
Schedule: 9/27/2009
A.M.
8:30
Setup Begins
9:00
Supporters Arrive
9:15 Intro &
Instructions
9:30 Marching Begins
10:15
Marching Ends
10:30 Guest Speaker #1
10:40
Guest Speaker #2
10:50
Guest Speaker #3
11:00 End of Event
- Setup – Setup shouldn’t be too difficult. About
10 chairs should be available for the guest speakers and others involved in organizing the march. The participants
can stand or sit on the ground. A podium and microphone should be made available for the guest speakers.
The sound system should be integrated as needed. The coolers of water should be placed in an area
easily accessible by the participants.
- Education Material – Use the
march as an opportunity to distribute educational material on Islam. Have the brochures available for people
to take if they choose to. The material should be for educational purposes only and should not be offensive
to any other religion. The organizer of the local march should approve any material to be distributed at
the march.
- Fundraising – Depending on your resources, the march may cost about $1,200 for the sound system and materials.
Reach out to your local Muslim community for financial support. It is a very worthy cause so fundraising
shouldn’t be an issue.
