Interfaith leaders stand with Muslim community, denounce radicalization
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Local Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religious leaders gathered at the Islamic Association of Raleigh to denounce radicalization and stand with the Muslim community.
"There comes that moment when one must stand up to injustice and say no more," said Reverend Nancy Petty of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church.
"Donald Trump's recent remarks on the banning of Muslims coming to the U.S. has brought me, and us, to that moment," she said.
Petty said the enemy is radicalization, not Muslims. She added that radicalization can come in the form of any religion and lead to violence.
She pointed to the recent attack on a Planned Parenthood in Colorado as an example, and called it Christian radicalization.
Reverend William Barber said the attack on Charleston's AME church is another such instance.
Eric Solomon The rabbi of Beth Meyer Synagogue, Eric Solomon, called Trump's rhetoric dangerous.
"We stand here as a Jewish community to say, as people who have suffered under the horrific nature of language turned into killing machines, that we will not stand idly by," Solomon said.
"That we will not let anyone speak about a religious minority in any other language aside from love, respect, and tolerance."
Imam Mohamed AbuTaleb from the Islamic Association of Raleigh asked everyone to try to seek more understanding of the Muslim faith.
"We choose compassion over hate," AbuTaleb said. "We choose understanding over division, and we choose community over going our separate ways."
