Muslim families and their children have held a peace march to the Manchester Arena to express their support and solidarity for the victims of the Manchester bombing.
Hundreds of families took their children along to participate in the march, carrying “We love Manchester” banners and brightly coloured balloons. They walked three miles from the Cheetam Hill area of the city to the arena on Friday evening.
The march was organised by the Jamia Mosque to show the local Muslim community’s outrage at the atrocity carried out by bomber Salman Abedi, according to The Telegraph.
A spokesman for the mosque said “It was really good to see people driving past supporting us. That’s the image we want to show - that we are a part of society campaigning against the terrorist.”
He said Muslim children in the local community had been traumatised by the news of the bombing which killed 22 people and left over 100 injured.
Muslim children make it quite clear how much they love Manchester...https://t.co/H1qMCmcu6e
— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) May 26, 2017
“The children were more upset this time because other children had been killed. Children were killed when they should have been having fun. It’s such an important age for them. We want them to know they are on the right side of what’s been going on.”
At the end of the walk, the marchers were joined by non-Muslim friends and neighbours to hold a vigil and lay flowers at the site as a mark of respect.
Imam Arshad Isbahi said it was important for Muslims to take a stand against the terrible actions. He explained the reason for the march saying: “This peace walk shows our feelings towards the atrocity.
“It was against the teachings of Islam. We organised the walk for our students.
“They have been asking questions at school and we feel as a Mosque we have to unite and show our sympathy for the lives that have been lost.”
Watch: Hundreds of Muslim children and their families marched from a mosque to the Manchester Arenahttps://t.co/H1qMCmcu6e
— Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) May 26, 2017
Since the horrific attack occurred, pressure has been placed on Muslim communities to take a stand against extremism. This peace march was seen as a response to criticism that Muslims are not tackling extremism within their own communities.
The strong local community in Manchester has been pulling together to rebuild their city following the awful attack.
Local newspaper The Manchester Evening News has raised over £1 million for victims of the tragedy and their families. Money raised will be given to the British Red Cross to distribute to the families affected.
