Canadian synagogue invites Muslims to pray after mosque set ablaze

Leaders of the synagogue voted to invite Muslim worshipers to pray with them after mosque rendered not fit for use

A synagogue in Canada has opened its doors to the local Muslim community after the nearby mosque was torched in a hate crime in the aftermath of the deadly Paris attacks.

Leaders of the Beth Israel synagogue in Peterborough voted to invite Muslim worshipers at the Masjid al-Salaam mosque to pray in their building, after it was fire-bombed by arsonists.



Following the attack, in which unidentified persons set fire to the only mosque in Ontario town, the building was rendered uninhabitable as the attack caused an estimated $80,000 worth of damage.

After hearing about the violence, Larry Gilman, president of the synagogue approached his board of directors to ask whether they could share prayer space with the Muslim congregation. The vote was unanimously in favour.

“It’s not about religion, it’s not about race,” he said.

“As Canadians we have to stick together”,” Gilman added.

In partnership with Kenzu Abdella, president of the Kawartha Muslim Religious Association, two prayer sessions and a dinner were held at the Jewish centre this week.



"Even though it came out of a tragedy, we are working together," Abdella said of the collaboration. We have more similarities than differences," he said.

"At the end of the day, it’s a house of God,” he said.

Other members of the community have also pitched in to help the Muslim community. A fundraiser to help restore the mosque raised $30,000 more than organisers anticipated after local residents reacted to horror with what Peterborough police have described as a suspected hate crime.

This article originally appeared on Independent.