Muslim Blog Muslim BlogCAIRO – A Muslim community group in Buffalo, New York, has handed over free roses to passers-by, tagged with quotations from the three Abrahamic Prophets Muhammad, Jesus or Moses.
“The goal is to promote interfaith dialogue and create an environment where people of all faiths can come together with just a simple thing as a flower,” Dr. Samad Khan, a member of WNY Muslims organization, told Buffalo News on Monday, October 13.
“A flower is something human beings can really appreciate, it’s a simple gesture but a universal sign of love and harmony. And Christianity, Judiaism and Islam promote love, harmony and peace.”
Dr Khan and about a dozen of his Muslim colleagues put a table on Sunday in front of the Williams-Sonoma store on the lower level.
Follow News Zone on:
Handling passers-by roses, the group distributed 300 flowers in a two-hour period.
Some of those receiving the flowers said they were touched by the gesture.
“It’s always nice to get a rose, and it’s for a good cause,” said Christina Lesh, 36, of Buffalo.
“My daughter is happy that she now has a flower, too.”
Diane Fraser and her daughter traded their Canadian Thanksgiving Day dinner for a trip to the Galleria.
Getting the gift of the rose on the eve of Thanksgiving, the pair’s decision paid off.
“It’s my Thanksgiving Day rose,” said Fraser, who lives in Toronto.
“With so much hate and violence in the world today, we need more of this.”
This is the second year for WNY Muslims to hold the two-day event.
Flower distribution will also take place today from noon to 2 pm in the Student Union on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus in Amherst.
Spread Peace
The Muslim group said the event was suggested to spread the message of peace shared by the three prophets.
“It’s our flagship event, and it’s a creative and unique way of spreading the messages of Moses, peace be unto him; Jesus, peace be unto him; and Muhammad, peace be unto him,” said Faizan Haq, founder of the organization, which has about 15,000 members.
“It’s the same message of coexistence of cultures and belief systems.”
Last year’s event was focused only on Muhammad but the organization wanted to include all Abrahamic religions this year to highlight inherent similarities and foster unity, said Hafsah Afzal, the group’s director outreach.
The campaign was urged after the rise of the so-called Islamic State, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
“Islam condemns ISIS,” she said, using another acronym for ISIL.
“We want to increase awareness that Muslims are a diverse group of individuals that have the same common goals and aspirations as every other American in this country,” Khan said.
“We want to overcome the negative stereotypes in the media.”
The tolerant message was appreciated by the people who received flowers.
“It’s really pretty and an effective way to show peace,” said Isabel Nowak, a student at Nardin Academy.
Her mother, Melissa Nowak, viewed it as a teachable moment to reiterate previous conversations about peace, kindness and tolerance.
“And,” Melissa Nowak said, “we’re going to think about it – about its messages.”
