Muslims for Peace hand out roses in wake of negative news stories

Don’t be surprised if a stranger hands you a white rose today.

In the wake of a stream of negative news stories, a group calling themselves Muslims for Peace is handing out flowers and spreading a message of peace.

• ISIS recruiter in Edmonton enlists Canadian woman to join fight in Syria
• West Edmonton Mall named in al-Shabaab video as possible target
• Somali-Canadians upset by terrorist video that targets Edmonton
• Edmonton Muslim students host forum to fight radicalization

“We want to spread the message that this religion is peaceful — so the people who are doing all the killing in the name of Islam — they just aren't Muslims and they don't represent me, or all these lovely people. They just don't represent Islam,” Nasrine Tarrabain said.

Those handing out flowers hope their involvement in the larger community will help separate them from extremists in Edmontonians’ eyes.

“We have nothing to do with that. None of us support it. We condemn what ISIS is doing, what al-Shabaab is doing, or wants to do. That’s nothing like what we believe,” group member Neceib Moussa said.

Tarrabain also hopes taking positive steps now will help create tolerance and acceptance among Edmontonians, regardless of religion.

“Any good deed you do in the world, whether in the name of religion or towards your next door neighbour who's not Muslim, is a good deed. And we should live by that and we should teach our kids that.”

The group will be handing out the roses throughout downtown on Thursday.