College Station Community Unites To Defend Islamic Center After Hostile Attack


Clergymen and 100 or so volunteers are now standing guard outside of an Islamic community center in Bryan-College Station, Texas, after it was damaged by gunfire Thursday morning, according to The Eagle.

The pastor of Friends Congregational Church of Christ, Dan De Leon, took action when he learned of the damage.

“I would hope that this is waking people up to realize that we don’t need to be focusing on our differences, and certainly not on lies that are stoked by Islamophobia. What we need to be focusing on is the well-being of our community. We can’t have people shooting up our neighborhoods.”

News sources report that the incident took place around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday while the building was unoccupied.

That morning officers responded to reports of four shots fired. They found exterior damage and bullet holes in the broken glass.

No one has been arrested thus far but the report says that investigators are looking for a motive for the gunfire, since they were not aware of any threats to the community center.

The FBI is currently involved with the investigation.

The community center posted the following post on their Facebook page on Thursday afternoon.

The Eagle also covered the community center leader’s statement to the press over their determination to practice their faith, despite the vandalism.

According to the community center’s website, they have been serving Muslims in the community since the mid-80s and that this is the first time they’ve ever had this problem.

Over the years a terrorist group in the Middle East, which refers to itself as The Islamic State, has seized territory in Iraq and Syria, and has fueled anti-Muslim sentiment worldwide. This sentiment increases with every terrorist attack and is encouraged by certain individuals who try to force the narrative that radical Muslims are attacking the West.

Anti-hate group protesters protect Islamic center in Irving.
Protesters standing outside Irving Mosque in 2015 as a counter protest against anti-Muslim hate groups, who have open-carried outside of many Islamic Centers. [Image by Stever Rainwater via Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0]
In more recent years, the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, Donald Trump, along with other candidates who are no longer running have been criticized for targeted Muslims and their communities. This has only provided more protection to anti-Muslim groups.

Last month, England’s citizens voted to leave the European Union, an effort made by a campaign that was largely led by right-wing groups who cited the influx of Muslim refugees from war-torn countries as the reason why they should leave.

Mosques in North Texas have been targeted by hate groups consistently in recent years. One of the more popular groups is led by David Wright, who’s armed group, BAIR, has already staged armed protests in front of at least one Mosque in Irving, Texas, where he is based.

Hate group BAIR protests outside Islamic center in Richardson
Anti-muslim protest organizer David Wright, center, carries a shotgun with other supporters across the street from a mosque in Richardson, Texas, Dec. 12, 2015. [Image by LM Otero/AP Photo]
This group was reported on by AJ+ last month in a segment called Armed and Vigilant: In Fear of a Muslim Uprising in Texas. They believe there is an uprising of Arabs in America and feel they should protect themselves from Islamic terrorism.

Counter protesters have also staged protests at mosques recently, outnumbering BAIR and other groups.

Many on social media who responded to the attack on the Islamic Community Center agree that the hostile act was not an “Aggie” thing to do, which is the nickname for those who attend Texas A&M University, which is based in College Station.

The Eagle also reports that the Pastor of A&M United Methodist Church Preston Greenwaldt, whose church is near the Islamic Community Center is praying for his neighbor.

For the most part, however, members of the Islamic Community Center’s board is saying that they are overwhelmed by the support they are getting from the community.

[Image via the Islamic Community of Bryan-College Station (ICBCS)/Facebook]

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