Americans pledge #IllWalkWithYou in support of Muslim community
Following the murder of two men outside a mosque in Queens, New York, on Saturday, Americans are pledging to walk shoulder to shoulder with their Muslim neighbors.
Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his associate Tharam Uddin, 64, were shot as they left afternoon prayers at the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque just before 2 p.m. ET.
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Police have said no motive has yet been established, and it's not clear the men were targeted because of their faith. Nevertheless, many Americans used social media to send a powerful message of support and protection to the Muslim community using the hashtag #IllWalkWithYou.
The message echoes the #IllRideWithYou movement that began in Australia after Man Haron Monis took 18 people hostage at a cafe in Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, in early 2014. The resulting siege left three people dead, including Monis.
The #IllRideWithYou hashtag started trending after a Sydney commuter, Rachael Jacobs, saw a Muslim woman removing her hijab after the tragedy. Jacobs went up to her, offering a quiet message of support: "No, if you want to wear it, then wear it. I'll walk with you."
The two deaths in New York come as the American Muslim community has been increasingly vilified, not least by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Most recently, Trump lashed out at the parents of slain Muslim soldier, Humayun Khan, after his father Khizr Khan's electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention in July.
Trump also suggested his mother, Ghazala Khan, was not permitted to speak at the event as a Muslim woman. That particular comment prompted a social media campaign by American Muslim women with the hashtag, #CanYouHearUsNow.
The women wielded social media to counter Trump's message, and people of all stripes are again using it to show the Muslim community a different side of America.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
