Festival celebrates Islamic heritage

About 100 representatives of Muslim organizations gathered outside the Independence Visitor Center for the19th annual Islamic Heritage Festival and Parade at Penn's Landing. They saw the parade as a way to combat fear of Muslim terrorism. In U.S. cities, African Americans account for about two-thirds of Muslims, said Khalid Blankinship, a Temple expert on Islam. Between 2 percent and 4 percent of African Americans are Muslims, while the percentage is much lower for European Americans. "America is not going to become Muslim overnight," Blankinship said. "It's just not going to happen."
Philadelphia Inquirer | June 12, 2011