Interfaith Memorial Service Held In Loma Linda To Honor Dead Killed In San Bernardino Massacre
LOMA LINDA (CBSLA.com) — The Muslim community on Sunday continued to speak out against violence and terrorism.
At an interfaith memorial service at the Islamic Community Center of Redlands, many of the congregants condemned the type of massacre that took place Wednesday in San Bernardino.
CBS2's Jasmine Viel attended the service and said leaders and attendees called for peace and understanding.
"I'd like to say a prayer for the people that lost their lives this past Wednesday," said one man.
They prayed for the 14 dead and shed tears -- the mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. All from different backgrounds.
"Today we are here mourning the senseless loss of life that took place and shook our community on December 2," said Khaled Zeidan, the Islamic Community Center's Chairman.
Those attending the service were also able to leave message of hope on peace trees and donate to the victims' families.
Zeidan said it's important for people all over the country to keep talking as we try to make sense of the tragedy.
"Fear is natural, you know," he said "We're all shaking, first, and we do have a fear as normal human beings. There might be backlash, but we cannot stop our lives, we are going to go to work, we will go to pray. "
Hours after Syed Farook and his wife went on a shooting rampage, the American Muslim community condemned the attack.
Center member Ajarat Bada spoke at the memorial and said she prays for acceptance and understanding.
She's a nurse at a local hospital and said one patient has already reached out while they watched the tragedy unfold on TV.
"We looked at the screen, and the first thing he said to me was, 'You know, I know you guys are not like that.'" she said.