SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — Moms and kids from different religions came together Monday at a Snoqualmie mosque.
Snoqualmie resident Nancy Baker pitched the idea of an interfaith gathering after seeing increasing anti-Muslim sentiment in the country in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, as well as comments by Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and state Rep. Jay Rodne's Facebook post, who wrote "Islam is incompatible with western civilization… Americans arm yourselves."
“It’s not something I want to be associated with and I want to say, we're better than that,” Baker said. “Coming from the Christian perspective, I want to make sure that my neighbors here feel safe.”
So they came together through social media and gathered at the Snoqualmie Mosque.
Though their religions are different, they realized they have more in common than meets the eye.
“It's more important than now for people to get to the bottom of our religion,” Rifat Siddiq said. “See us for peace and not for hatred.”
For these moms, like Hina Shakil, it's critical they address it head on.
“I want my kids to grow with confidence—to grow with what they are,” Shakil explained.
They worry anti-Muslim sentiments will ultimately affect their children.
But maybe it's the kids they don't have to worry about.
“I learned that people are more accepting. They are hardly caring about religion. They want to know about your personality,” one child said.
“I'm Christian, so learning about another religion is interesting to me and I want to learn more about it,” added another.
Baker said she hopes the gathering will become an ongoing movie and book club.
Each discussion would focus on a different religion and culture.
Baker also said this is all about moms using the tools they have to make the world better.
KIRO
