Christians lament vandalism of mosques
TORONTO, ON–Before the attacks of September 11 were publicly linked to an Islamic terrorist group, members of Toronto's Muslim community said they feared being the targets for "reprisal."
In the weeks following the attacks south of the border, a Hindu temple in Hamilton was set ablaze, mosques in St. Catharines and Oshawa received threats and several in the Toronto area were vandalized. Muslim leaders turned to other faith groups to help them respond.
Muslims and Christians were among those planning an interfaith vigil in front of Toronto's Metro Hall. In the shadow of Toronto's landmark CN Tower, the city's religious communities shared their sadness and their desire to promote peace and respect within their own circles.
The vigil stressed the belief that the terrorist attacks threatened religious freedom, a hallmark of Canadian society.
The City of Toronto Community Partnerships Program, formerly the city's race relations network, organized the religious communities for the vigil.
"We need to work together to put a lid on the kind of violence we saw at the Hindu temple that was attacked in Hamilton," said the program's director, Morley Wolfe.
"We need to show the community that religious groups can promote peace within their own ranks and that they can live in harmony with other groups with whom they strongly disagree."
The Salvation Army, Anglican Church of Canada, United Church of Canada and Royal Canadian Mounted Police chaplains were among the participating Christian groups. The parable of the Good Samaritan was one of the passages read and prayers were offered that Canadians and Americans would continue to live at peace with their neighbours and for comfort for the victims.
In a planning meeting, Mobeen Khaja, president of the Association of Progressive Muslims of Ontario said that Christians should be able to "sympathize" with the position facing Canadian Muslims.
"When abortion doctors are killed by extremists, those acts don't represent the entire Christian community," he said. "They were the result of people who hijacked [the Christian] faith in the same way that a few individuals have hijacked Islam to represent their own causes."
The fact that local authorities have identified links to Toronto businesses involved in the terrorist plots is not the point, says Khaja. He said the best thing he can promise is that his religious community will "promote peace."
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