By Sadef Ali Kully
Dozens of residents from across the borough gathered at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Diversity Plaza was filled with crowds of every color, honking traffic and the aroma of Indian food.
Among the hustle and bustle, the candlelight vigil reflected the plaza in the heart of the country’s most ethnically diverse county. The event was organized by community activists, including several Muslims, and elected officials soon after suicide bombing attacks and a hostage situation at a concert hall in Paris, which left 129 people dead and hundreds injured.
“Today we are marking a terrible day. As a Muslim New Yorker, it is important to denounce what happened and there is no place for it,” Ali Najmi, Queens community activist and criminal defense attorney, said.
Democratic District Leader Jorge Fanjul told the crowd, “We are angry and we are scared. It is important in these trying times to be the best neighbors possible.”
State Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) and state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) spoke about the tragic events that took place Friday night.
“If only the world could take a look at what happens in Jackson Heights. Maybe this is the example for the world. When we see this tragedy, we stand right here with our Muslim brothers and sisters to send a message that we won’t stand for this,” Moya said.
Peralta said he fully supports President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande.
“Enough is enough, we all have sadly experienced what happened and we stand with France,” Peralta said.
Vigil attendees, including religious leaders, spoke out and expressed their feelings one by one about what the attacks in Paris meant for New Yorkers.
“We must pray for those who have lost their lives,” Imam Ismail from the Islamic Center of Jackson Heights said. The imam then led a prayer in Arabic for the victims that called for peace in the world.
Other religious Muslim leaders joined Imam Ismail to show they supported condemning the attack.
Local 100 union leader Shafiqur Rahman, in an emotion outburst, said: “They hijacked my religion. A terrorist is a terrorist. We have to stand together.”
The event ended with participants holding hands in a circle and a short prayer led by a woman.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
