A ONE-minute silence for the victims of the Paris attacks was held during a meeting of the Muslim Jewish Forum staged in Bury

Sunday's "Spread Hummus Not Hate" event, held at Bury Town Hall, was attended by 75 people and marked the eighth global season of twinning between Muslims and Jews initiated by the Forum For Ethnic Understanding in New York.

The event was organised by the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester in partnership with "We Stand Together" and Faith Network for Manchester.

Guests were welcomed by Chief Inspector Umer Khan and Jonny Wineberg, who are the co-chairmen of "We Stand Together."

Other speakers included Bury councillor Tamoor Tariq, Imam Asad Zaman, Imam Umer Khalid, Jewish Representative Council president Sharon Bannister, Rabbi Warren Elf,

North West MEP and Muslim Jewish Forum co-founder, Afzal Khan and Muslim Jewish Forum co-chairman, Heather Fletcher.

All speakers stressed the need for more similar events to bring people of all faiths together, especially in the light of the tragedy in Paris.

Discussions looked at ways of improving relations and the guests were also treated to an extensive buffet which included many different types of hummus to spread, in keeping with the title of the event.

First-time attendee Tahir Rafiq said: "I was glad to be here, it was very inspirational and informative. It is necessary to spread the message of interfaith and similarities in our religions. We must stand together."

Darren Niman, another person attending for the first time, added: "This event proved to me that this is about real people who just want to live together and work together in peace and harmony, reaching out to each other for the common good of all communities, not letting external issues in the wider world get in the way. This is the way forward for a brighter, happier and peaceful future."