“We are not savages, we are not barbarians.” (link)
In light of all the negative, violent protests we are hearing about, I thought these positive stories deserved some attention.
::more below the fold::
Peaceful protests were held in Canadian cities today — 1300-1500 in Toronto and 250-300 in Montréal. What caught my attention however, was not the demonstrations themselves, but that many mosques in these cities, and others, opened their doors to the public. Altogether, they spoke of denouncing violence, opening communication, and most of all, fostering understanding.
“We find it’s the only constructive way to respond to this issue of the caricature, present the Muslim community and who is Muhammad,” said Mohamed Kamel of the Al-Ommah Al-Islamiah Mosque. (link)
<== (Photo from CBC, Muslims protest in Toronto, Montreal against controversial cartoons).
In Toronto, the 1300-1500 demonstrated outside the Danish Consulate. The protest remained peaceful, and the message conveyed was furthering understanding:
“We want to include all our members and friends in Canada to be part of what we are feeling today,” one speaker told the crowd.
“To understand the hurt that we feel, to understand the injury that we feel.” (link)
The Muslim Association of New Brunswick also protested by opening their doors: afternoon prayers were open to the public. They said that this was their way of protesting, their way to bridge the gap, their way to express themselves.
Approximately 100 visitors attended the Open House to discuss the Muslim faith. CTV news spoke with two non-Muslims who attended the Open House (via TV broadcast; link n/a at this time — will update w/ link if it becomes available),
“I thought I’d drop in here especially because of this cartoon thing, which I think is deplorable. We should respect one another’s religion.”
“It’s getting to understand one another and when we know one another we won’t be afraid. It’s fear of the unknown.”
Internationally, peaceful protests ocurred in Turkey, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. (link)
