Tulsans gather at mosque to express sorrow, support

TULSA — Dozens of Tulsans gathered at the Islamic Society of Tulsa Friday afternoon to send a message of support to the local Muslim community.

Many carried signs calling for an end to “othering” and the violence perpetrated on people for their religious beliefs.

As members of the mosque exited their Friday prayers, several were surprised to see the crowd gathered outside.

One young lady, who identified herself as Nora, told KRMG they were tears of happiness, on a day when there had been all too many tears of grief.

“Forty-nine people died...it hurts,” she said. “So when you see people who want to mend the pain a little bit, it makes you cry. Well, it made me cry.”

Rev. Chris Moore of Fellowship Congregational Church in Tulsa said he helped organize the event, and sadly, didn’t even have to make signs. He still had some left from previous vigils, including one held in the wake of the recent massacre at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

“We reject the language of white supremacy, we reject the ethos of ‘othering’ that seems to be going on very heavily. We reject this notion that there are some people who count and other people that don’t count. That is so prevalent now, not only in our political language, but that bleeds into everything else, that it needs to be identified, and lifted up, and rejected.”

Rev. Shelby Scott is rector at Saint Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Broken Arrow.

He told KRMG he and members of his church have had “many interesting dialogues and relationships and dinners together” with the Islamic community.

“As people of goodwill and faith, we need to stand together,” he told KRMG. “I have great love and respect for our Islamic community.”

Several members of the Muslim community went around to the people gathered, thanking them individually.

And many, perhaps, shared the sentiment Nora expressed.

“This definitely made me feel a lot better.”