Protecting People of Other Faiths

In the wake of the election of Donald Trump who used much anti-Muslim rhetoric in his campaign, there has been a wave of incidents of harassment and threats of people of color, immigrants, LGBT people, and Muslims.  In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a young Muslim woman was accosted by a man with a gun who told her to remove her hijab or he would burn her alive.  She removed her hijab, fled the scene, and reported the incident.

In response University of Michigan students and others joined in a massive show of support to Muslims students and neighbors.

Circle of protection around praying Muslims at University of Michigan

The Muslim Student Association held public prayers surrounded by a circle of 200 non-Muslim students and faculty members.  Some held signs saying “You Belong Here.”  Muslim university chaplain Mohammed Ishtiaq said after the event, “Events of solidarity like this give us hope.”

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There have been many similar examples around the world of people of one faith protecting people of another.  In Cameroon the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram from north eastern Nigeria has been threatening Christians as well as more moderate Muslims.  Cameroonian Christians have guarded mosques on Fridays during prayers.  Cameroonian Muslims have guarded churches on Sunday during worship services.

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In 2015 when a wave of anti-Semitism saw an attack against a synagogue in Copenhagen, over 1,000 Muslims in Oslo formed a human shield around a synagogue in that city.  They chanted “No to anti-Semitism, no to Islamophobia.”  “Humanity is one, and we are here to demonstrate that,” one of the organizers said.

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