Busloads of Muslims formed human 'rings of peace' to protect synagogues in Canada

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/06/us/rings-of-peace-toronto-trnd/index.html

By Christina Maxouris and Brandon Griggs, CNN
Updated 2:06 PM ET, Tue November 6, 2018

After a deadly attack last year on a mosque in Quebec, Christians and Jews formed human "rings of peace" around mosques across Canada to help Muslim worshippers feel safer on their way in.

This past weekend, Muslims did the same for six synagogues in Toronto.

Several hundred people, arriving in busloads from different mosques, stood shoulder to shoulder around the synagogues with one very clear message.

"We're here for you," Fatima Sajan said.

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Sajan said the Pittsburgh shooting, in which 11 people were killed, hit close to home for the Muslim community.
In January 2017, a gunman opened fire in a crowed of men, women and children inside the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center during Sunday evening prayers. Six people were killed.
"We've been seeing over the past two years that hate crimes have been increasing, and the severity of these attacks has been increasing," Sajan said. "It's not just about one community -- we're all facing one common hate and one common intolerance."

She said Muslims are determined to stand together with their Jewish neighbors.
"It's not just up to the Jewish community to solve anti-Semitism," she told CNN. "We have to recognize that these issues are common forms of hatred. And we'll be working together to address the hate."