From The Edmonton Journal (Canada)
BY OTIENA ELLWAND, EDMONTON JOURNAL
EDMONTON – Bleary-eyed commuters were handed a white rose as they stepped off the bus outside City Centre Mall on Thursday morning as a gesture of peace from local Muslims.
A grassroots group gave out more than 500 roses around downtown in the morning and at lunch, with quotes and information to help people better understand what it means to be Muslim.
Muslims for Peace came up with the idea three weeks ago as a way to counter negative publicity about their religion in light of news reports about the Islamic extremist groups ISIS and al-Shabab.
“We’re handing out white roses and a saying to promote peace,” said volunteer Marwa Farhat at Churchill Square. “We’re not extremists. We don’t want people to be scared of us. We’re just like any other person.”
Farhat said the response from passersby had been positive, with many people accepting the roses with a smile or a question. Her basket was nearly empty only an hour into the initiative after handing out 80 roses on a street corner.
