THE events that took place in Paris two weeks ago have shocked us all.

These were callous, cold-blooded murders of innocent Parisians whose 'crime' was to enjoy a night out.

The attackers did not care whether their victims were women or children, nor did they care whether they killed Muslims or non-Muslims – indeed a number of Muslims were among the dead.

I've spoken to several members of the Muslim community here in Warrington over the last fortnight.

They share my horror and disgust at what has taken place – perhaps more acutely, as some feel the actions of a tiny minority bring shame on the Muslim community as a whole and make it more difficult for them to engage with their own local communities.

We must recognise that those who carried out these barbaric acts are as representative of the Muslim community as the Ku Klux Klan are of Christianity. Indeed the Holy Koran has strict prohibitions on the harming of women and children.

Two days after the Paris attacks I attended the Diwali celebrations in Old Hall and I asked the temple elders what Diwali means to Hindus and Sikhs. They told me that Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, of knowledge over ignorance, of good over evil and of hope over despair.

That evening, there were members of the Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Muslim communities.

It didn't matter that, for some of us, Diwali wasn't part of our cultural traditions.

Like Christmas, the principles behind Diwali are relevant whatever religion you follow or even if you don't follow any religion at all.

It is tempting, after an atrocity like the one in Paris, to view each other with suspicion and to focus on what divides us.

What the Diwali celebrations impressed upon me is that we must redouble our efforts to emphasise what we have in common: showing kindness to our neighbours, toleration of others' opinions and the importance of family.

These values are not exclusive to Christianity, Islam or any other religion. They are universal.

They were on display in Warrington two weeks ago and it’s important we remember them in the months ahead.