19 March 2015
6 March 2015
Oslo Peace Ring: answering hatred with love...
Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, stated: “There
are not enough people who are willing to act against hate and terror.” But, on
Saturday 21st February, more than 1,000 Muslims gathered in Oslo (Norway) and
formed a symbolic protective ring around the Norwegian capital’s single
functioning synagogue to show their support to the Jewish community just four
days after the deadly attacks in Copenhagen (Denmark) that killed Danish
filmmaker Finn Nørgaard, who was attending a free speech debate, and Dan Uzan,
a guard at a Copenhagen synagogue.
In contrast, only 70 people showed up to demonstrate in Oslo at the
march organized by the Norwegian Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against the
Islamisation of the West) a day earlier.
Seven young Norwegian Muslims planned the “Fredens Ring” or Peace Ring
in response to the never-ending violence. Zeeshan Abdullah, one of the
organizers, said that "there’s still hope for humanity, for peace and
love, across religious differences and backgrounds.”
The Muslim community everywhere in the world has been sharing its
feeling of both disappointment and frustration at the hideous crimes and
terrorist attacks that have happened recently in the name of Islam. Another of
the Peace Ring organisers said she felt “a bit of shame that these people say
that they’re Muslims and they go and kill innocent people.” Muslims are also
tired of being verbally abused and blamed for terrorism as well as seeing
mosques being burnt down.
In a population of 5 million inhabitants, Norway has about 1,000 Jews
and about 150,000 Muslims. According to a 2014 poll, both Jewish and Muslim
communities are considered to make an important contribution to Norwegian
society.
Following the massacre committed by far-right extremist Anders Breivik who
killed 77 people in July 2011, the then Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said:
“Our response is more democracy, more openness, and more humanity…”
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