Members of the Islamic Society of Central Pennsylvania are among those mourning the loss of fellow Muslims in the New Zealand mosque attacks last week, and say they hope to encourage peace in people of all faiths.
‘The people who do this crime, I can’t say they’re either Christian or Jew or Muslim. They just don’t have any belief in anything because if you have a God in your heart, you won’t commit such a crime,’ said Bashar Khayat of the Islamic Society.
State College community members have shown their support to the society by sending flowers, cards, emails and more after last week’s tragedy, and held a vigil on Old Main Lawn.
‘That community support is just unbelievable. That’s what makes us believe we must all fight [hate] together and put a stop to it,’ Khayat said.
The Islamic Society will host a community open house from 5-7 p.m. on Friday at 709 Ridge Avenue in State College.
Centre County Report’s Lilah Cook has more on how the community is uniting in difficult times.
This video is produced by and for Centre County Report and is shared through a partnership with StateCollege.com.
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