Mosques are places of peaceful worship, fellowship and community; just like any place of worship: church, synagogue or temple.
Dutch game developer and gaming diversity advocate Rami Ismail was tired of seeing the media emphasizing that victims of the Christchurch shootings belonged to "peaceful mosques," as though that were not the standard.
Ismail wanted to do something about it, to change the way the public thinks of mosques and the communities that exist there, so he posted the following tweet asking for input from other Muslims.
"Since several news networks emphasize that the mosques at the Christchurch shootings were #PeacefulMosques, as if most aren't:"
"Hey muslims, tell me something painfully mundane and common at your mosque, whether you visit it five times a day or one time a year."
"Non-muslims, RT."
Ismail then started off the hashtag by sharing a personal experience.
Others soon followed suit, and #PeacefulMosques went viral.
Compassion for other species was a common thread.
Lots of everyday concerns and anecdotes you would see from any place of worship.
A sense of loving community can always be found.
After the atrocity that was the Christchurch shootings, these stories of the mundane happenings at Mosques are a stark reminder of exactly what the world lost that day: good people who were just trying to worship peacefully. People with loving families and mundane lives, with everyday dreams and problems—just like everyone else.