In light of recent global terrorist attacks, leaders of different faiths gathered at Gainesville’s City Hall on Tuesday to deliver a message.
“Our hearts go out in sympathy to the many innocent victims of hate crimes in London and Manchester, England; Portland, Oregon; Minya and Alexandria, Egypt; Kabul, Afghanistan; Baghdad, Iraq; and Orlando, Florida,” retired UF professor Saeed Khan told about 20 people on the steps of the city hall.
In addition to Khan, who’s a Muslim, members of the Christian and Jewish faith all delivered one common message — one of unity, acceptance and tolerance.
Mayor Lauren Poe explained that Gainesville is a welcoming place for anybody, noting the city’s international culture. Poe said it was important for leaders of faith to join with leaders of government in Alachua County to reinforce the idea that no matter what religion people practice, they’ll be accepted.
“We just want to drive home the point that every single human being has equal value, and we need to do our best to reach out to every person regardless of their circumstances, regardless of where they came from or how long they’ve been here,” Poe said.
Khan, who used to be a professor in UF’s Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, said he thinks many Muslims in the community fear that others associate their religion with terrorism. If you research Muslim reactions to recent terrorist attacks, Khan said you’ll notice most Muslim leaders condemn the acts.
One of the best ways to bring awareness to this stereotype is for community members of all faiths to communicate, Khan said. For example, last month, the United Church of Gainesville, located at 1624 NW Fifth Ave., called on Khan to teach members of the church more about the Islamic faith.
“I don’t want the people to get the impression of Islam from what they read in the paper,” Khan said. “I want them to look at me.”
Contact David Street at dstreet@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @dstreet177.
