Freshta Kohgadai has lived in Alameda most of her life, but as a Muslim-American woman who wears a hijab, President Donald Trump's executive order and talk about banning Muslims has made her uneasy.

"These past couple of days or even months, honestly, I’ve personally felt very alone and very targeted, and scared to go out," she said.

But when about 300 people showed up on Sunday at the Islamic Center of Alameda with the message, "We love our Muslim neighbors," it made her feel safer.

"Seeing the turnout here is so amazing and so empowering and it just gives me so much hope, that even though the administration is against us, we have people here fighting for us, fighting for our rights, standing next to us, and they’re going to protect us," Kohgadai said. "I'm overwhelmed with joy seeing Alameda's community unified like this."

The action was organized in response to Trump's executive order that bans Syrian refugees for an indefinite period of time, temporarily stops entry of all refugees, and stops most people from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering.

"There’s a point at which, when families are getting separated and doctors are not being allowed to come back and do cardiac medicine, that you have to, as a community, say enough is enough," said Amanda Cooper, an Alameda resident who helped organize the action. "We live right down the street, we pass here all the time, my daughter and I take dance class across the street. This center has always been good neighbors to us, and we felt like it was time to show that we want to be good neighbors to them as well."

The crowd chanted "No ban, no wall, Alameda is for all," and "The people united will never be divided." A mother and son sang "This Land is Your Land." Cars honked in support. Ninety-one-year-old Joyce Lashof carried a sign that said: "End the Muslim ban now."

"To put a blockade for a whole population is just an un-American thing to do," said Lashof, regarding President Trump's executive order. "My grandparents were refugees from Russia, and many, many people in our country are refugees from difficult places. So we stand in solidarity with the Muslims around the world."

Members of the Islamic Center greeted their neighbors, shared cookies, and invited them inside to learn more about Islam.

"For all of us, it’s beautiful," said Eslamoddin Sedighi, who prays at the mosque. "We know each other. We got to love each other. This is the way we have to show up, to see the beauty of the humanity."

Alameda resident Nadia Mahrazi, who originally came to the U.S. from Algeria, said "I’m Muslim. I’m an American citizen but I come from oppression, so this is a personal thing to me. It means for me to stand up against dictatorship, against closed-minded people."

Denisse Bayardo came from Santa Rosa to stand with her college friend, Maria Khatri, who was born in England and whose family is from Pakistan.

"Denisse is Mexican, I’m Muslim. It’s so great to see how we’re all coming together to fight this," said Khatri.

"Both of us had to work hard to get our citizenship, too," she added. "It’s not that easy. The people who are coming right now are in such grave danger. America is supposed to be a refuge. It’s really scary to see what it’s becoming."