Phoenix, June 1 (RHC)-- More than 200 protesters, including some carrying weapons, gathered in the U.S. city of Phoenix, Arizona over the weekend for an anti-Islam rally. An equal number of counter-protesters met the group as they stood outside the Islamic Community Center during evening prayers.

The organizer of the anti-Islam protest says he called the event after two gunmen tried to attack an anti-Muslim gathering in Texas last month. More than a dozen participants carried semi-automatic weapons amid chants of anti-Islam slogans.

Imraan Siddiqi of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said local officials had failed to speak out in opposition. Siddiqi told reporters: "These are your own citizens that are here in Phoenix. There’s 50,000 Muslims that live here in Phoenix and it’s a growing community. We’re voters and we’re positive contributors to society."