Mayor Martin J. Walsh offered reassurance to thousands of Muslims gathered Wednesday morning in Roxbury to celebrate Eid, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, telling them: “I’m here today to pray with you, to support you.”
Ramadan this year, the mayor noted, has been a time of grief for people of all faiths, beginning with the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando by an Islamic State sympathizer, and followed by terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Dhaka, Istanbul, and even the Muslim holy city of Medina.
With anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric permeating public discourse, Muslims around the country have been targeted because of their faith, Imam Shaykh Yasir Fahmy of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center noted in his sermon.
Walsh, standing in his shirt-sleeves before thousands of brilliantly attired worshipers on the field behind Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, said he joined Fahmy and all those gathered in praying for hope, peace, and a better future for their children.
“This community here in Boston, I want you to know that we stand with you,” Walsh said.
Pointing to Boston’s first Muslim police captain, Haseeb Hosein, Walsh made an oblique reference to the city’s efforts to fight terrorism and hate crimes alike by encouraging cooperation between law enforcement and the city’s Muslim communities.
“What we do in Boston is we work on relationships, we work on making sure that our communities are safe in every part of our city,” Walsh said.
He also noted that this week’s Fourth of July celebration was in part a recognition of religious freedom, of the founders’ determination to secure that right for all Americans.
An ebullient crowd cheered and descended on the mayor when he stopped speaking, entreating him to stop and pose for photos, which he did over and over again.
“That’s the best gift we could get right now,” said Hamza Awil, 27, of Roxbury. “It’s the mayor of our city supporting us on our day, our holy day. You can’t get bigger than that.”
Teta Fofana, who wore a bright blue head scarf and orange robe, beamed. “It means we are part of this community,” she said.
Sophia Sirage, 22, who lives in the Fenway, and her 13-year-old sister squeezed through the crowd to get a high-five from the mayor. They emerged with big smiles.
“It lets people see us — and see that we’re just one big awkward family,” Sirage said of the mayor’s visit. “And it’s good for us because . . . [we] get to see that there are politicians who care.”