Vigils held at mosque, church for victims of Paris attacks

DEARBORN - A Detroit church and suburban mosque have hosted vigils for victims of the deadly attacks in Paris.

People gathered Saturday evening at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn and St. Anne Parish in southwestern Detroit. Attendees at the mosque vigil gathered around candles arranged to spell “humanity.”

Islamic Center Executive Administrator Kassem Allie tells The Detroit News the event was held to honor victims of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris and Lebanon. Three Dearborn residents were among dozens killed in the Thursday attacks in a Beirut suburb, and the mosque previously held a service for those victims.

Allie says “it’s time” to “take some concrete action on the roots of this terror.”

Dearborn is home to thousands who trace their roots to Lebanon and the Middle East.