Rob Oliphant and Muslim Community

openly gay MP: All in a single tweet: Needs to be shared: I am an openly gay MP elected by the largest Muslim community in Canada #cdnpoli #orlando #DVW @Rob_Oliphant Speaking at a vigil attended by hundreds in Toronto Church and Wellesley village Sunday, Oliphant elaborated on the connection between the communities. "While I heard the news and the numbers of those fatalities kept growing in the morning, my body reacted and I had two impulses," he said, according to CBC. The first he said was to reach out to his gay and lesbian friends and seek solidarity with those who have experienced homophobia. "But my second response was to reach out to my Muslim brothers and sisters to say hate can never be met with hate; hate has to be met with love... We know better than anyone else that it is by love that we are saved." Oliphant reiterated his support for the Muslim community Monday on Metro Morning, saying he knew "people would quickly start to blame a community for the actions... of one person." Oliphant says he reached out to both the gay and Muslim communities after learning some 50 people were killed in an Orlando nightclub. "I have heard often that people think of the Muslim community as homophobic and that is not my experience," he told CBC Matt Galloway. "I have experienced homophobia among Christians, I have experienced homophobia among atheists, among all kinds of people, and, yes, among Muslims. At the same time, he denounced anyone blaming the violent tragedy on the Muslim community. But by and large their acceptance and generosity to me has been huge." Oliphant also expressed the need for solidarity among the two communities. "I want to make sure that our two vulnerable communities, the gay and lesbian community as well as the Muslim community, stick together in this to recognize that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that protects me is that charter that protects them," he said. "Let embrace each other, let actually look each other in the eye, let smile and let say, 'We're in this together.'" On Sunday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims echoed that sentiment, saying in a statement, "This horrific tragedy is heartbreaking." "As Canadians, we stand united against violence and discrimination against any human being," it said. "Hate hurts us all." Residents back Oliphant For Scarborough resident Ahmad Gaied, such a positive message was unexpected but came as welcome surprise. "I think it makes a heck of a difference," he said. "We're in the middle of Ramadan, our holiest month. Love is love:' Orlando shooting victims honoured with rainbow-themed tributes the world over Toronto police to boost Pride security in wake of Florida shootingANALYSIS After Orlando, time to recognize that anti-gay bigotry is not religious freedom: Neil Macdonald "I really appreciate that he made that comment so quickly," Siddiqui said. "The Charter of Rights is the fundamental thing that protects us as Muslims, as it protects the LGBT community, Jews... all the minorities. By the MP speaking up about our community and by saying he proud to be elected by the largest Muslim community in Canada; that something that needs to be celebrated." "Those are the things we need to talk about — the facts." Najeeb Siddiqui has lived in the Don Valley area since 2006 and was a member of Oliphant riding until it was redrawn last year. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.