A peaceful protest to memorialize Muslim Martyr Imam Hussain made its way through downtown-Windsor on Sunday, finishing up at city hall.
Hussain is revered by both Muslims and non-Muslims for his devotion and perseverance while taking a stand against oppression and his ability to inspire the weak to stand up for their rights.
Nearly 1,000 people filled City Hall Square to hear speakers like Ahmad Bazzi recount what he meant to Islam and the world.
Bazzi tells AM800 News it's more important than ever to get the message out that Islam is about inclusion and coexistence.
"Guide all humans no matter what their gender is, what their race is, and no matter what belief system they follow. It is not limited to one person over another, Islam is not there to destroy, rather, Islam is there in helping us advancing ourselves and moving forward as a race," he says.
Close to 1,000 attend a peaceful protest to make it clear those “highjack Islam” in the name of violence are not true Muslims. @CTVWindsor @AM800News #cklw pic.twitter.com/dsXgqJJcU3
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) October 28, 2018
In the current political climate, Bazzi says it's important that people realize of the billions of Muslims in the world, less than 1% of hateful acts and murder are being carried out in the name of Islam.
"Who are those who are killing others? Were they Muslims specifically? No, they were people that were following a specific agenda going towards a specific goal that had nothing to do with Islam," says Bazzi. "They use Islam to facilitate what it was that they were striving for."
Bazzi says those who harm others in the name of Islam are not Muslims.
"If you see someone oppressing someone anywhere in the world in the name of Islam, then no, they are using Islam and hijacking the name of Islam and using it to facilitate their actions. We, us as real Muslims have nothing to do with them."
Bazzi added, most people killed by radical Islamic groups like ISIS are other Muslims.
He encourages anyone who feels the views of those hate groups encompass Islam to personally read the Quran.
Peaceful protest making its way through downtown #Windsor to city hall. More to come. @AM800News @CTVWindsor #cklw pic.twitter.com/fYFcEeNK9p
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) October 28, 2018