Religious and Community Leaders Attend Interfaith Vigil at Queens Mosque

March 17, 2019

Spectrum News NY1
By Amy Yensi
March 17, 2019

In a show of strength, dozens of worshipers visited the Jamaica Muslim Center for the first Sunday prayer service since the deadly hate-filled shootings at two mosques in New Zealand.

“It is a sad thing to say. On one hand, we feel this is the safest place we are supposed to be, but we also see the unfortunate events happening around the world,” said Imam Shamsi Ali, the Director of the Jamaica Muslim Center.

The mosque in Queens opened its doors to local lawmakers and religious leaders for an interfaith vigil. The gesture was considered by many to be a sign of unity following Friday’s terrorist attack thousands of miles away.

“Today, we’re here with faith leaders from the Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Hindu community to say that they all stand together against hatred, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism xenophobia in all of its forms and shapes and manifestations,” said City Council Member Rory Lancman.

It’s that type of hatred which, investigators say, fueled Brenton Harris Tarrant, a suspected white nationalist, to ambush and kill more than four dozen people.

Those at Sunday’s vigil in Queens say this type of massacre is becoming all too common.

“Almost five months ago. It was the Muslim community that embraced the Jewish community following the massacre that took place in a Pittsburgh synagogue,” Rabbi Marc Schneier said. “So we join our Muslim brothers and sisters today in solidarity, in compassion.”

Though they don’t all share the same faith, the focus here is about what they do have in common.

“We need to understand, we might have different skin colors, we might come from different ethnic groups, we might believe in a different deity or creator, but at the end of the day, we all bleed the same color,” said Dr. Craig Considine, a sociologist from Rice University.

The Imam of the mosque in Queens told NY1 that although there have not been any direct threats made to this place of worship, he’s being extra vigilant and keeping in close contact with the NYPD.

Click here to read the original article.