The chapel went silent Saturday morning as a single candle was lit.
Inside the Bartley Temple United Methodist Church, the pews were filled with solemn faces as people from across the community came together to remember yet another group of victims.
Less than a week after a mass shooting at an environmental health department’s holiday party in San Bernardino, California, killed 14 people, the Rev. Milford Griner stood at a lectern and called for unity in the face of hate.
As he prayed for the victims and their families, Griner’s condolences shifted to the Muslim-American community, which he said has been unfairly persecuted as of late over the actions of a few of its members. While the San Bernardino attackers, Tashfeen Malik and her husband Syed Farook, were Muslim Americans, they don’t represent their entire community, Griner said.
"First of all, we have to get away from preconceived notions and preconceived attitudes," Griner said. "And the best way to do that is by coming together and having conversation."
To spur a dialogue on Muslim relations in the community, Griner called on his friend, Dr. Saeed Khan, a retired UF professor and a Muslim American, to speak to the crowd of about 30 people.
"We all must come together — black, white, Muslim, rich, poor — in the face of these kinds of tragedies," Griner said.
At the lectern, Khan prayed for the victims and his fellow Muslims. He read from the Quran and educated the crowd on its teachings, which he said mirror that of all other faiths.
"In the eyes of God, we are all the same," he said. "No one is superior over the other, except those who show piety and goodness."
Sometimes, he said, it seems like society becomes numb to the plight of others.
"In one way, we are more interconnected than ever," he said. "On the other hand, we are far removed from each other, living in our own universe."
As the names of the 14 men and women who were killed in California were read aloud, the chapel was still. Afterward, the crowd joined Griner and Khan in singing "Amazing Grace."
Moving forward, Griner said he would like to set up a seminar on Muslim-American relations in the community.
"There’s too much division in many parts of our country because of one thing or another, because of things that could be resolved by coming together," he said. "Instead, we divide."
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo
