Dozens of members of the community attended a vigil Wednesday night organized by the Prince Albert Muslim Association following the Christchurch shootings. (Brady Bateman/paNOW Staff)

By Brady Bateman

in Solidarity

Reflections and prayers for Christchurch victims

Mar 21, 2019 | 8:03 AM

In the wake of a devastating shooting that left 50 dead in Christchurch, New Zealand, an interfaith reflection and prayer service was organized by the Prince Albert Muslim Association Wednesday.

The vigil focused on the message of unity over division, faith over fear, and love over hatred, according to Irshad Unia, Imam of the Prince Albert Muslim Association.

“We decided to have this vigil for everyone in the community, to come and unite for one purpose. We want to move forward, we want to spread love and we want to take the hate away,” Unia said. “We want to be united with each other.”

Individuals from all backgrounds and religions attended a vigil, held in solidarity for the victims of the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand which left 50 dead. (Brady Bateman/paNOW Staff)

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Those from any faith or background were welcome, with dozens of Prince Albert and area residents attending to grieve and express condolences to the city’s Muslim community.

“We, as Muslims, are not here to spread hate, we only wish to spread love. We want to be a part of all of our communities, we want to be united as one front and show that we can stick together, even in times like this,” said Unia. “Even though it’s a sad event, we want it to bring people closer together.”

Religious leaders from various faiths attended the vigil, including Bishop Albert Thévenot, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert.

“I’m here to sympathize with the Muslim community. They have had a great tragedy in New Zealand and I think in such situations we have to stand in solidarity with one another,” he said. “Our beliefs may be different, but our understanding of brotherhood is very important for all of us, and that’s what we’re trying to do now.”

Thévenot hopes the incident will help foster stronger relationships between the Muslim community in Prince Albert and those from varying backgrounds and faiths.

“These people are here, they have come here to live with us. Their desire is to live in peace and to live with us, and we want to live with them,” said Albert. “I hope that together we can find a way of living together, and being together while we come together to worship the same God in a kind of way.”

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brady.bateman@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TheDigitalBirdy