Boston Chain of Peace at ISBCC

Date: 

Friday, February 10, 2017 (All day)

Location: 

100 Malcolm X Blvd, Roxbury, MA 02120, USA
Call to Stand in Solidarity with Boston's Muslim Community on Friday, February 10. Please share widely! In response to the recent devastating attack on a mosque in Quebec and the destruction of a mosque in Texas, and in light of President Trump’s travel ban on residents of Muslim-majority nations, we call Boston-area residents to join us in an act of solidarity with the Muslim community in this city and beyond: a BOSTON CHAIN OF PEACE. We invite people of compassion—of all faiths and no faith—to congregate in respectful silence on Friday, February 10, at 12:15 p.m., outside the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) as its congregants attend the weekly Jum’ah service. (Muslims’ most important weekly religious gathering, Jum’ah often attracts more than 1,000 congregants to the ISBCC—the largest crowd of the week.) Joining hands together, we will demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that everyone in our community has a safe space in which to worship. Out of respect for those in prayer, we will not chant or carry signs. Yet we hope that our quiet presence will be a ringing statement heard both inside and outside the mosque. The Chain of Peace will assemble beginning at 12:15 p.m., outside the ISBCC entrance on Malcolm X Boulevard, so that we will be in place well in advance of the 1:00 p.m. service. We expect to be done by approximately 2:00 p.m. The ISBCC is the largest mosque in New England. It welcomes a congregation that includes members from 64 different nationalities. Boston Chain of Peace was started by three Boston-area residents, all Jewish descendants of Holocaust refugees and survivors. We are inspired by the group of young Muslims who organized a “Ring of Peace” outside Oslo’s main synagogue in 2015, in the wake of numerous attacks against Jews in Europe. For Media Inquiries, contact: Rabbi Sue Fendrick or Michael Lowenthal bostonchainofpeace@gmail.com 

Pluralism Project Summary

Shortly after noon on February 10, 2017, a bitterly cold winter day, 150-200 residents of the Greater Boston area gathered in front of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury to form a “Chain of Peace” to show solidarity with the local Muslim community following a string of hate crimes and rising intolerance in the United States and Canada. Participants arrived in time to welcome Muslims arriving for the weekly Friday prayer before taking up positions around the perimeter of the ISBCC. During the service, participants stood silently in the cold, holding signs that said, “We Have Your Back” and “You Belong.” Following Friday prayers, the imam came out to say a word of thanks to the participants before inviting everyone inside to warm up and drink hot beverages.

This summary is written by a Pluralism Project staff member who attended the event.