Sacramento Muslim Community Gathers To Condemn Paris Attacks, Pray For Peace

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The Muslim community joined together on a holy day to dedicate their noon prayer to the victims of the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attacks.

It's the sound of prayer just after noon on Friday, but the prayers had a slightly different tone.

Before we entered, I was given a scarf to cover my hair and a long robe to cover my legs. My photographer and I then joined others in taking off our shoes as we sat among a packed crowd at the oldest mosque west of the Mississippi. There, religious leaders condemned the deadly attacks.

Their message was one of peace and love.

"Islam teaches us not be the aggressor, so when you find those who go out and take the lives of innocents, they are not practicing the religion," said Imam Omar Shareef.

They say in a country built on immigrants, there is now a shift and a growing fear that the religion is under attack.

Basim Elkarra spoke about the political rhetoric from GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has spoken openly about closing mosques and create a government database to track Muslims in the United States.

When it comes to the refugee, they said it's important to remember the refugees are victims of their circumstances and they, too, are victims of ISIS.