Vigil draws more than 1,000 at Redmond mosque

The Muslim Association of Puget Sound mosque was filled to overflowing Monday night.

Almost every chair was taken, and crowds sat shoulder to shoulder on the floor and lined the walls. Many of those present had signs that read, "I stand with my Muslim neighbor."

"Tonight we are gathered in this space to mourn," organizer Shukri Olow said. "And later we'll talk about actions that we can take as a community."

One speaker, Nayab Khan, shared the story of his friend who died in the shooting.

"I knew Naeem since first grade, and we went to the same school and often sat at the same desk until high school," he said. "The moment I heard about the Christchurch shooting, the first person who crossed my mind was Naeem. He was the type of person who would put himself in harm's way to save others. Anyways, now we all know that the person who sacrificed his life instead of shielding himself from the bullets was Naeem."

Attendees held a moment of silence for Naeem and all the other victims of the shooting.

The faith leaders and politicians who spoke also called for concrete actions to try to end hate crimes. They recommended donating to the victims in New Zealand, supporting the Washington state hate crimes bill and asking public schools to respect all religions.

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