Muslim Day Parade 2009

Before I start, I'd like to thank all of those who keep us safe.
Note: These policemen were not a part of the parade. They were stationed by the Hyatt Hotel next to Grand Central Terminal.

Now for the parade.

This year's Muslim Day Parade in New York City was even smaller than last year. There were noticeably much fewer marchers and no spectators lined along the barricades in place on Madison Avenue from 41st Street down to 23rd.

Thankfully absent from this year's march were the waving black flags of jihad. Maybe Mayor Bloomberg finally took notice. However, these headbands where popular.

This is the fun part. The parade always starts with a long prayer. This time they figured out which direction East toward Mecca really is. Last year they were pointed to East Side of Midtown, so they were were unknowingly praying to the U. N.!

I wonder who realized that all along they had been praying in the wrong direction!

VIDEO: This was also the first time there was music. Courtesy of the NYPD Marching Band. It was a surreal combination.

You can see how empty the streets were. Also absent were the protesters who normally turn out and even the ever-present Islamic Thinkers Society didn't show themselves. It was a much different parade than the previous years. Rather boring and uneventful, really.

Cries of "Allah hu akbar!" and "Takbir!" were heard over and over through the entire march. "Takbir" means expansion in Arabic. Expansion of Islam .

New York's finest!

This woman on the left was pretty much the only person who came out for the parade.

Even these young girls were chanting 'takbir!' again and again.

I think 'the One' in this case means Allah, not Obama.

See also:
Muslim Day Parade 2008
&
Muslim Day Parade 2007