Eastside Covenant Church and the Islamic Center of Tucson will stand together Thursday night to pray for the victims of the Orlando mass shooting.Β
The interfaith vigil at De Anza Park, 1000 N. Stone Ave., is the first partnership between the two religious organizations, whose leaders connected last fall.
"I would just say from our Christian perspective, we just think it's really important in the midst of this to show intentionally that we love our Muslim neighbors and we mourn with the gay community, because both are feeling isolated and afraid right now," said Taylor Burgoyne, the pastor at Eastside Covenant Church. "We want to condemn those who would do either community wrong."Β
Other religious groups have been invited, said Ahmed Meiloud, a board member at the Islamic Center.Β
On Sunday, the mosque posted a condemnation of the Orlando shooting on its Facebook page.
"I think the main goal here is to show that we have little tolerance for violence against people, regardless of their orientation or religious background or personal," Meiloud said Wednesday. Β
The Facebook page for the vigil encourages people to pray for the victims of the shooting, even if they cannot attend the event from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16.Β
"We mourn the loss of life and we stand united together against violence and hate," the page reads, asserting a rejection of both homophobia and Islamophobia.Β
Event information is available on the Facebook pages of both Eastside Covenant Church and the Islamic Center of Tucson.Β
