Two Texas gunmen open fire outside an anti-Muslim exhibition showcasing drawings of Prophet Mohammed in Texas on May 4. In retaliation, Jon Ritzheimer, an Iraq war veteran, calls for an armed protest outside an Arizona mosque (since the attackers Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi worshipped there) as a patriotic sign of resistance against what he deemed the tyranny of Islam in America. Around 250 anti-Muslim demonstrators show up, many of them donning offensive ‘F*** Islam’ t-shirts. A counter demonstration of the same size also takes place at the mosque, with a line of police separating the two protests. Most would perceive violence, racial abuses and arrests under these circumstances but something unbelievable happened which produced a rather unexpected result.
Usama Shami, president of the Islamic center, invited the angry anti-Islam protestors inside the Arizona mosque for evening prayers where the Islam denouncers experienced peace, commonality and understanding. Compassion, kindness and love paved the way for a ‘love is stronger than hate’ event.
Beautiful: Americans form human shield to protect #PHxMosque from armed thugs, racists, and neo-Nazis #Islamophobia pic.twitter.com/9c8tiNgwso
— S. M. Modarresi (@SayedModarresi) May 30, 2015
I’m not Muslim, but I know Islam means kindness & compassion, not terrorism. #PHxMosque #notmyamerica pic.twitter.com/kR7HgxQUDe — Jordan Denari (@jdenari) May 29, 2015
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Protest a Mosque? GET REAL. #NotMyAmerica pic.twitter.com/oDrLnz3MKQ
— James Parkley (@jnarls) May 30, 2015
Phoenix resident, Jason Leger, said, “It was something I’ve never seen before. I took my shoes off. I kneeled. I saw a bunch of peaceful people. We all got along. They made me feel welcome, you know. I just think everybody’s points are getting misconstrued, saying things out of emotion, saying things they don’t believe.”
Anti-Islam protester has change of heart after observing prayer service at Arizona mosque http://t.co/0kNiBVa6mt — Baha (@bahapakistani) June 3, 2015
Another Phoenix resident, Paul Griffin, said that the rally exposed Islam as contrary to American rights. “They want us to cower in fear because of a cartoon that somebody drew? What the hell happened to this country? I don’t care if I offend anyone. This is America.” This was before the mosque visit. After attending the prayers, shook hand with a Muslim worshippers and told him, “I promise, the next time you see me, I won’t be wearing this shirt. I won’t wear it again.”
“A lot of them, they’ve never met a Muslim, or they haven’t had interactions with Muslims. A lot of them are filled with hate and rage. Maybe they went to websites that charged them with this hatred. So when you sit down and talk like rational people, without all these slogans, without being bigots, without bringing guns, they will find out that they’re talking to another human,” Shami told The Washington Post.
Some Twitter users, however, asked/commented valid questions/views:
It’s bad enough that there are idiots in #Arizona going bonkers with their #PHxMosque protest. Whatever happened to American values?
— Shuja Rabbani (@ShujaRabbani) May 31, 2015
#TamirRice gets killed by police aged 12 with a plastic gun. These men however are untouched by police. #PHxMosque pic.twitter.com/jcPrzJrtqA
— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) May 30, 2015
Imagine if they were black or Muslim and “protested” this way outside a white church @ShaunKing #PHxMosque #RealThugs pic.twitter.com/ty4iVfM8oi
— Ahmed Ali (@MrAhmednurAli) May 30, 2015
So a black man in Walmart was shot & killed holding an air rifle from the store but these white men w/real guns are protestors? #PHxMosque
— Ranwa Hammamy (@RHammamy) May 30, 2015
Pro tip: if you’re leading armed “protests” outside a mosque, Muslims aren’t the threat to America’s religious liberty, YOU ARE. #PHxMosque
— Saul Invictus (@Notintheface1) May 30, 2015
The Islamic Community Center of Phoenix hosted a multi-faith prayer service on June 1 to “show that when one of us is mistreated, our community responds with a message of Love and Not Hate“. About 200 participants, some carrying roses, tulips and daisies, filled the mosque.
#Arizona mosque,site of anti-Islam protest, holds ‘love not hate’ event http://t.co/xRTXHVM8gb @Reuters v @markscogan pic.twitter.com/OMZSxqb0mO
— Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) June 2, 2015
Panorama of hundreds of various faiths show their support for Muslims. #PhxMosque pic.twitter.com/uDUOdlOEXR — Michael Chow (@photochowder) June 2, 2015
“America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white, but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all together, irrespective of their color.”
― Malcolm X
Malcolm X was wrong, education and exposure in early stages of a person’s education does miracles, there’s no need for a specific religion.
sorry I couldn’t read what you said after ‘Malcolm X was wrong’, but I approved your comment anyway.
the religon itself is faulty. the people in it might be some preaty good guys.
from where you got this idea ? more than half of this religion treat non-muslims cas of its instructions it has no wrong instructions at all only psycho who understand it wrong don’t judge on a whole community cas some idiot minority i just cant understand why you said that
Your grammr is faulty.
grammar*
-.-
Guys, come to London, please. And you’ll see “peaceful people”.. They’re full of hate to us and don’t even try to pretend they’re not. You are lucky in US, because they don’t have to much power for now. But please, visit Europe and you’ll see different face of islam.
so why you government keep them ?
or why they hate you they live in your country there is no reason in the world let them hate you or you must see something else
I live in Europe and I call bs on this. Fuck Stereotyping…
U probably had a bad dream…
What are you talking about? I live in Europe and there are no problems with Muslim. I even have more problems with LGBT propaganda and pro-russian citizens. But Muslim? Really? Thy’re altight. I feel sorry that some of our “SUPERLIBERAL” and “COMPLETELY POLITICALLY CORRECT” gvmnts are trying to limit Muslim rights, meanwhile their words and promises about equality I hear every day. I haven’t been to London but I personally know several people from here I know people who visited that beatiful city. Never heard complaints about Muslim actually.