Vigil to Show Support Following Temple Shooting, Mosque Fire

A vigil Thursday at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign comes in response to the shootings at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and a fire at a mosque in Missouri.

Six worshipers died and three others were injured in the Wisconsin attack, while there were no injuries as a result of the fire in Missouri.

Vigil organizer Greg Damhorst said tragic events like these do raise awareness about other faiths and cultures.

"Tragedies like this will catalyze the process of trying to educate the community about different faith traditions, and since these things have happened, we want to take advantage of that opportunity," Damhorst said. "However, it is unfortunate that those are perhaps the strongest catalysts in making religious literacy education happen."

A Pew Research Center survey of more than 3,400 Americans shows on average, participants correctly answered about half of the questions given to them about religion. Damhorst said he hopes Thursday's vigil helps boost knowledge about other faiths.

The vigil begins at 5:30pm at the U of I's YMCA, and continues to the corner of Green and Wright Streets in Campustown.