Manglauru Muslims stand in solidarity with Christians

Mangaluru, May 5: A group of Muslims gathered outside the Milagres Church in Mangaluru on Sunday in an expression of solidarity with Christians and victims of the serial blasts that rocked churches in Sri Lanka last month.

They offered dates and water to Christians, who walked out of the church after attending the Sunday morning mass.

Local Muslim activists Asif Deals and Saif Sultan decided to bring the community together. Speaking on the sidelines of the event that lasted for about 20 minutes, Saif Sultan said, “Liberals or people who want peace are really silent. It is high time that people come to the streets and say that we do not support terrorism. The majority only want a normal life and peace. Someone from our community has done it, but we do not represent them. Since the holy month of Ramadan is coming up, we decided to offer dates and water and hold a silent protest. This has sent out a very positive message,” he said.

They have already received calls from 16 different places in Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru and Chennai asking how to organise similar protests. “It is a beautiful idea of brotherhood and humanity. The response from the Christian community has been great. The church priests and churchgoers, appreciated the move,” said Saif, hoping to organise a similar protest in another church soon.

Parish priest Valerian D’Souza said: “We are happy to have Muslim brethren with us in our campus expressing their solidarity with us. We recalled what happened on Easter in Sri Lanka, and we as a family condemn such terrorist activities. Through placards, the Muslims have expressed that they are with us. We want love and peace. We are grateful to all in the organisation who thought about this. The message is powerful, though they were no speeches.”