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Rev. Cedric Brock,
president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance,
organized the gathering and served as the event’s moderator.
“It is downright
disgusting, what we have heard over the last two weeks,”
said Brock. “Labeling is not correct, we as African
Americans know that. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are
being labeled. We want our brothers to be able to walk with
their heads high. We want the country to know that we stand
against this.”
“This is my brother,” said
Rev. Chris Rowell, pastor of Joshua Generation FWC, as he
draped his arm around his colleague on the City of Toledo
Board of Community Relations, Dr. Zaheer Hasan. “We are
standing here unified as people.”
While the afternoon’s
message of unity was primarily delivered by African-American
pastors to the Muslim community, other religious leaders
also came prepared to deliver the same message of unity and
to express distress about the recent wave of verbal and
physical attacks on the Muslim community.
Father Thomas Landgraff,
representing the Catholic Diocese of Toledo, said: “We stand
in solidarity with the Muslim community; we support the
Muslim here who are good people; we welcome into our land
Muslim immigrants.”
Joel Beren of Toledo
Hillel said: “After watching the xenophobia in the
[Republican] debate, I realize that there but for the grace
of God go I.”
Jeanine Diller, of the
University of Toledo Center for Religious Understanding,
said: “We strive to create an environment in the class where
everyone is free to learn; we stand firm with you; we are
sorry for the pain that has been caused.”
The message of unity and
support was received with gratitude from the leaders of the
Muslim community.
“Thanks God, our creator,
for your help and support; God bless our country,” said John
Shousher, local businessman.
“It’s heartening to see so
many people here, said Imam Shamsuddin Waheed of Toledo
Masjid al Islam. “Life is full of challenges and to go
through this together is heartening.” |
