HARRISBURG, Pa. — As the Israel-Hamas war rages on overseas, community leaders in Pennsylvania are calling for an end to the violence.
'Voices for Peace', a gathering organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC), was held at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday.
"We stand before you today, united in our humanity and in our calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire," Rafay Nasir, a scheduled speaker at the event, proclaimed at the podium.
It was an event that brought community leaders together to grieve for those affected by the Israel-Hamas War.
"I grieve for the one million Palestinian children that we are all seeing every day with their faces in shock about what’s happening," said Nabila Taha, a Palestinian-American, as she held back tears.
They also called on lawmakers to help end the violence.
"It’s about time that we take a stand and take some action," said Missionary Farhad Rana of the AMC Hadee Mosque. "We need to call on our political leaders and call on our heads of state."
According to the Associated Press, 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Since then, more than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s military response.
Communities in Pennsylvania say enough is enough.
"My heart and my community’s heart bleeds for those families as well and those victims as well. So, it is not just about one population or the other, it is a collective humanitarian issue," said Saima Mumtaz, an outreach coordinator for the AMC Hadee Mosque. "We want justice, we want peace and we want the end of all the killings, death of destruction."
Ultimately, they hope leaders here at home can help their push for peace.
"There’s no need to point out our differences of race, religion or creed, at the end of the day we are all human beings," said Rana. "We all want the same thing and that is to bring justice and peace to the world."
"Reach down deep inside and please show us that humanity is not dead," said Mumtaz.