An act of love: Elon community unites against violence, hate

Dozens of Elon students, faculty and staff came together Monday evening to stand with the Muslim community against violence and hate in response to the March 15 terror attack in New Zealand  

About 100 members of the Elon community prayed, reflected in silence and stood together March 18 to show their support for the Muslim community on campus and beyond after a March 15 terror attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, left 50 people dead and many more injured.

“We are here this afternoon to mourn and lament, to come together in solidarity, to find a way to move forward here and around the world,” University Chaplain Jan Fuller said as she welcomed those who came to the event in the Sacred Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion. “We choose life for ourselves and to stand together with the Muslim community.”

As part of the event, prayers from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions were shared, prayers that called for love, peace, unity and compassion. “We have to hang on to hope,” Imam Shane Atkinson said. “We are people of faith. Good and evil are not equal. Love and hate are not equal. Love is the way of God, love is the way of faith. Love is the way of the people gathered here, and love will prevail.”

Not long after joining the Elon community in the fall, Rabbi Sandra Lawson remembered attending a similar event, this time in solidarity of the Jewish community after the Oct. 27 shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, which left 11 people dead. “Every day I pray that this would be the last time we have to gather to mourn and grieve as a community,” she said, adding that in moments of despair, she hopes the community finds a way to feel closer to God.

While others might choose violence and hatred, Fuller challenged attendees to not let those evils take root in their hearts. She asked them to stand together as a sign of their commitment to peace and justice. “What happens next is up to all of us,” she said. “May we bring life, may we bring peace, may we stand against injustice. … May our lives matter now, for the world needs us.”