Muslims with their children marched to the Manchester Arena carrying banners reading "We love Manchester" and coloured balloons. They marched from Cheetham Hill to the site of the explosion.
The walk was organised by the community leaders of the North Manchester Jamia Mosque to show their revulsion against the act of terrorism carried out by bomber Salman Abedi.
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A spokesperson for the mosque, Moin Azmi, said Muslim children had also been deeply disturbed after the attack. “It was really good to see people driving past supporting us. That’s the image we want to show - that we are a part of society campaigning against the terrorist," he added.
"The children were more upset this time because other children had been killed. Children were killed when they should have been having fun. It’s such an important age for them. We want them to know they are on the right side of what’s been going on."
Even non-Muslim friends and neighbours participated in the walk. At the end of it, a vigil was held and flowers were laid outside the police cordon sealing off the arena.
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Imam Arshad Misbahi, who participated in the walk, said: “This peace walk shows our feelings towards the atrocity. It is against the teachings of Islam. We organised the walk for our students."
He added that the students had been asking questions at school. "We feel as a mosque that we have to unite and show our sympathy for the lives that have been lost,” he added.
The walk was a response from the Muslim community to those who have called for Muslim leaders to do more to raise a voice against acts of terrorism.
This article originally appeared on The Telegraph.
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