Muslim 'Peace Ring' Forms Around Oslo Synagogue

Over a thousand Muslims residing in Oslo, the capital of Norway, formed a 'Peace Ring' around the city's synagogue to show solidarity with its Jewish followers. This action was planned and executed following a series of attacks by Muslims against Jews in various European countries in recent weeks. According to the Associated Press, Hajere Irshad, one of the organizers of the event, stated that Muslims in Oslo wanted to demonstrate that 'Islam is a religion of peace and unity.' Zishan Abdullah, a speaker in front of the Oslo synagogue, also said: 'We want to show that Muslims and Jews do not hate each other. We do not want others to introduce Islam to us.' Mr. Abdullah added: 'This event showed that the number of peace lovers is much greater than that of war mongers.' Erwin Cohen, the head of the Jewish community in Oslo, described the event as 'unique.' According to AFP, Mr. Cohen said that the gathering of Muslims outside the synagogue 'filled the Jewish community of Norway with hope, especially since most of the participants were young Muslims.' Michael Melchior, the Chief Rabbi of Norway, was also present at the event and stated that this was the first time a Jewish religious ceremony at the Oslo synagogue was held with participants outside its premises. Earlier this year, a Muslim man from Mali took hostages at a Jewish supermarket in Paris, killing several of them before being shot by police. In late February, another Muslim man shot a Jew in the head outside the Copenhagen synagogue, the capital of Denmark.