Commemorating the first anniversary of Boston Marathon bombing, leaders of Boston Muslim community have joined an interfaith prayer vigil, sending out a loud message against the attacks that shocked the society a year ago.
“We were afflicted by the tragedy that tried to extinguish the spirit of our marathon, that tried to shake our faith and test our strength,” Suzan El-Rayess of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center told those attending the vigil, CBS reported on Sunday, April 20.
El-Rayess speech was given during a prayer vigil held at the steps of Trinity Church in Copley Square Saturday night.
Representatives of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths participated in the vigil, held under the title ‘Light the Fire of Peace’.
Last April, a pair of ethnically Chechen Muslim brothers allegedly set off explosives at the finish line of the race, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others.
The attacks on the international marathon have drawn widespread condemnations from Muslims inside the United States and around the world.
With the overwhelming majority of American Muslims have no connection to extremism, the entire community is badly affected by the rare, individual attacks, such as the Boston bombings.
New Start
A year on the attack, participants in the vigil said they wanted to look ahead, rejoicing the fact the Boston Marathon tradition continues.
“It will never be the same,” Cathy Bradley, who got to mile 25 last year before she was stopped by the explosion, said.
“For me it’s going to be emotional. I’m excited but it’s also very emotional. It think it’s a time of healing on many levels for many people.”
For Libby Roberts, a marathon spectator, the vigil offered him a chance to move on from last year.
“I think it’s taking our city back and filling it with peace rather than anger,” she said.
Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by several cities in Greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts.
Held annually on Patriots’ Day, the third Monday of April, the marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, which dates back to 1897. It als ranks as one of the world’s best-known road racing events.
Though there are no official estimates, the US is home to from 7-8 million Muslims.
An earlier Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans Muslims are loyal to their country and optimistic about their future in the United States.
Source: OnIslam
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