Close to 200 candles encircled the Old Main Fountain on Sunday evening as about 50 students and community members bowed their heads in silence.
The Muslim Leaders of America put together the candlelight vigil, but organizer Neekta Hamidi said those present, many of whom held hand-drawn posters with slogans including "Terror has no religion" and "To Boston from ASU: We are with you," made up a broad selection of ASU and the Tempe community.
"We're not just Muslims, not just students, not just people who know people in Boston," she said. "It's very broad. If you stand for one right, you should stand for them all."
On Sunday evening, the vigil's attendees stood to show their support for victims of Monday's bombings at the Boston marathon, which killed three and injured 183, as well as the ensuing search for two suspects. By the time the search concluded with the second suspect's arrest, an MIT police officer had died.
The community also gathered to show that the Islamic faith is loving and to condemn the two men believed to have executed the bombings, said Hamidi, a bioengineering senior.
One poster that changed hands several times throughout the vigil contained a quote from the Prophet Muhammad: "The greatest enemies of God are those who are entered into Islam and do acts of infidelity and who without cause shed the blood of man."
Hamidi's roommate, microbiology sophomore Yasmynn Chowdhury, set up many of the candles around the fountain. The vigil was the first planned remembrance of the Boston marathon bombings in the Phoenix area.
"We're coming together as the student body of ASU to not only memorialize the victims in Boston, but to condemn these acts," she said.
Saiaf Abdallah, who graduated from ASU in December, said the vigil fits with Islam's mission to help everyone.
"We try to make sure our goals are clear to everyone," he said. "We don't stand for a specific race or color, we stand for human beings. That's what our religion teaches us."
Abdallah said he worries about a focus on the suspects' religion, adding that religion was not involved in media coverage of the Sandy Hook shootings or last summer's movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo.
"These people's religion has nothing to do with it," he said. "They have other issues."
He said it was additionally important to remember that events like the Boston Marathon bombings happen around the world every day.
It's every person's duty to stand against all atrocities, he said.
"We don't accept it in Boston," Abdallah said. "We don't accept it in Afghanistan."
Chemistry and religious studies senior Isa Mohammad wore a green Boston Red Sox hat to the vigil.
"I've been there before," he said. "I'm a big fan of Boston."
Mohammad said the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, where most ASU Muslims go, preaches peace, as does every other mosque he's ever visted. However, he said many Americans may not understand the faith.
He said he hoped the event would end misconceptions about the Muslim faith that have been present in the U.S. since 9/11.
"There are people that are as concerned that the man's Muslim as they are about the victims," he said. "We're just watching the TV and saying, 'Please don't be Muslim, please don't be Muslim.'"
NAU alumnus Huthaifa Shqeirat said he's seen a minor backlash against the Muslim community, but overall saw an outpouring of support for Boston's residents from all Americans.
"The message we're sending out is that the good people will always outnumber the bad ones," he said.
Shqeirat, the son of the Islamic Community Center of Tempe's imam, said events like the vigil show unity. However, he said these aren't enough.
"We as Americans should not wait until a tragedy to come together," he said.
Reach the news editor at julia.shumway@asu.edu or follow @JMShumway on Twitter.
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