President of the American Muslim Community Centers Atif Fareed believes that we should all follow Pope Francis’ example and call for unity as the world mourns for the victims of the Brussels attack. The March 22 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 31 victims and injured 300 others threaten to create a divide among Christians, Hindus, and Muslims. Fareed believes that destabilizing the relationship of people belonging to different faiths is one of the goals of terrorism. We should, therefore, do everything we can to stay united so terror does not win.

The Pope Leading by Example

On the 24th of March 2016, Holy Thursday and two days after the attack on Brussels, Pope Francis conducted a foot-washing ritual at a refugee center in Castelnuovo di Porto. He washed and kissed the feet of Christian, Muslim, and Hindu refugees alike. He welcomed all the refugees and declared them all us children of the one and only God. He also stated that the terror attack should not result to anti-Muslim sentiment because the terrorists do not represent Islam. The Pope also called for brotherhood and asked for everyone to help one another and stand together in denouncing terrorism.

The Brussels Attack is a Gesture of War

Atif Fareed agrees with Pope Francis that the senseless attacks were a gesture of war perpetrated by barbarians who want to sow fear and panic by targeting asylum-seekers who only want to be safe and far from the fighting. Fareed calls for mutual respect saying that our religions and cultures may greatly differ from one another but we should not let these differences come between us. We all want to live in peace and these terrorists are the biggest threat to the peaceful world we dream of. We should follow the lead of the migrants. The migrants are a mix of Christians, Muslims, and Hindus but they are all helping each other find and reach a place where they can be far from the warzones and the battles.

The Holy Thursday Foot Washing Ritual

The foot washing ritual relives the act Jesus performed on his apostles before he was taken and later crucified. Washing and kissing someone else’s feet is a gesture of service, gratitude, and humility. It symbolizes caring for one another as if we were brothers. It is the polar opposite of the gesture of war and destruction shown by the terror attacks on Brussels. The migrants represented a brotherhood composed of people of different faiths, a brotherhood terrorists wanted to destroy.