Oslo Peace Ring Supports Muslims
"We want to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Muslim fellow citizens to show disgust towards increasing Muslim hate and xenophobia in society," the Facebook page of the event read, Huffington Post reported.
"In this time of fear and polarization we feel it is more important than ever to stand together and show solidarity.
"We believe in and will highlight [the] human will to live together in peace and in [respect] for each other regardless of religion [and] ethnicity."
Attended by hundreds of Norwegians, Saturday's peace ring aimed to show humanity what it truly means to love your neighbor, according to its organizers.
Urging Norwegian faiths to take part in the peace circle, the event organizers described Muslims as "a vulnerable minority in Norwegian society".
“We are glad that Muslims are a part of our society and we feel that they are an exposed minority in Norwegian society."
It came in response to an earlier Muslim human shield that was formed around Oslo synagogue last weekend.
The shield was attended by more than 1000 Norwegian Muslims who flocked to Oslo’s synagogue, forming a human shield as a symbolic protection for the Jewish community in the Scandinavian country.
The shield was formed as part of an event organized by Norway Muslim community to offer support to Jews after Copenhagen and Paris extremist attacks.
Norway is home to a small Jewish minority, one of Europe’s smallest, numbering around 1000.
The Muslim population, which has been growing steadily, is 150,000 to 200,000 out of Norway’s 5.2 million population.
