Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. His post in support of Muslims is going viral. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg invoked his Judaism to defend Muslims around the world in a post uploaded on Wednesday night.

“I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world,” Zuckerberg wrote. “After the Paris attacks and hate this week, I can only imagine the fear Muslims feel that they will be persecuted for the actions of others.”

Zuckerberg said that, as a Jew, his parents taught him to “stand up against attacks on all communities.” He said, “Even if an attack isn’t against you today, in time attacks on freedom for anyone will hurt everyone.”

He added: “If you’re a Muslim in this community, as the leader of Facebook I want you to know that you are always welcome here and that we will fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you.”

Zuckerberg, who recently became a father, concluded by saying that having a child has instilled in him hope, but “the hate of some can make it easy to succumb to cynicism.” He told his Facebook followers, “As long as we stand together and see the good in each other, we can build a better world for all people.”

His remarks followed a controversy stirred by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Muslims have also received backlash in the wake of the Paris attacks and San Bernardino massacre.

By Thursday afternoon, Zuckerberg’s post had garnered more than 1.3 million “likes,” 193,000 “shares” and 60,000 comments.