McMaster’s “Pray for Paris, Pray for Humanity”

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By: Saad Ejaz

Despite cold temperatures, McMaster students stood in solidarity with the victims of recent tragic events around the world, including the Beirut bombings and Paris shootings.

On Nov. 8, the Political Action Committee of Overcome the Gap, an MSU club, held an open dialogue to commemorate the lives lost around the world.

Dozens of students gathered outside at Mills plaza at 7 p.m. The event had a number of speeches, musicals and spoken word poetry that honored the victims of the tragic events that took place. Several students delivered an impromptu speech and also signed a banner to honour the lives lost.

Taaha Muhammad, President of Overcome the Gap, mentions that the focus of the event was to show equal solidarity to victims of the attacks in Baghdad, Beirut and France, and two earthquakes in Japan and Mexico.

“The goal was to raise awareness about all the issues going on in the world. It wasn’t to emphasize the ‘greater importance’ of any one tragedy, but rather to enlighten us of being more cognizant, understanding, and holistically knowledgeable and sympathetic individuals. We realized the Paris shootings resonated in the hearts of many as it was spread all over the web and social media, and we used this as an opportunity to get people together to discuss a common issue and how to move forward from there,” said Muhammad.

The aim of the event was to unite students to understand that there are more things we all have in common than it often seems.

Many McMaster and Hamilton organizations attended the event, including the Muslim Student’s Association, Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Student's Union, Grace Mandarin Alliance Church, LIFT Church and the Downtown Hamilton Mosque.

Umair Majid, cofounder of Overcome the Gap, emphasized unity and a progressive society. He stated, “Our objectives as an organization have been consistent with collective action …We wanted to use recent events as an opportunity to bring together individuals from different backgrounds, cultures and religions. Therefore, we held a shared and open dialogue called ‘#PrayforParis: #PrayforHumanity: Where Do We Go From Here?’”

The event was a great success, according to Muhammad. “There was a sound number of people there and all who came walked away enlightened by the perspectives shared,” he said.  “I think having an outlet like this event for us to share our joint sincerities and condolences for those affected by the tragedies around the world really served as a catalyst for positive change. It brought people together, despite their differences, and students walked away having internalized a multitude of perspectives centred around one common theme: humanity.”

Photo Credit: Rehan Pervaiz

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