Norway Muslims to Jews: If Someone Wants To Attack You, They’ll Have To Step Over Us First

by Abby Zimet, staff writer, CommonDreams.org

In the wake of last week’s attack on a Copenhagen synagogue – along with the Paris terrorist attacks, the murders of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill [NC], and growing anti-Semitism across Europe – a group of young Muslims in Norway have organized a Shabbat “Ring of Peace” around an Oslo synagogue to, in the words of its 17-year-old organizer, “extinguish the prejudices people have against Jews and against Muslims.” Concerned the event could prove “counter-productive” in an increasingly volatile climate, the leader of Oslo’s Jewish community agreed to it only if at least 30 people signed up.

To date, over 1,500 have, agreeing with organizers’ argument that, “Islam is about protecting our brothers and sisters, regard-less of which religion they belong to.” The event has also sparked a wave of online campaigns expressing similar soli-darity, including #IgoToSynagogue, #WeMustStickTogether, #MuslimsAndJewsRefuseToBeEnemies. Explained one attendee for the Ring of Peace, “We all have to live under the same sky.”