When a mosque in suburban Virginia became the target of a firebomb attack, faith leaders decided that rather than turn inward, it was the moment to embrace the local community.
\nThe incident occurred just six days after ISIL-claimed gunmen attacked multiple sites in Paris, claiming the lives of 130 victims in mid-November.
\nAs he recalls the attack on his mosque that closely followed, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, the mosque\u2019s outreach director, said the point of opening the mosque’s doors for an open Thanksgiving meal was to fight the irrational fears that fed into the attack.
\n\u201cWe have two choices,\u201d he said. \u201cEither we\u2019re going to live in freedom, or we\u2019re going to live in fear, and we know that this fear is irrational \u2013 that the person who threw the Molotov cocktail was unstable and afraid.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy don\u2019t you just let him in?\u201d he asked himself rhetorically.
\nThat kind of outreach may be crucial in thwarting rising distrust and anti-Muslim sentiments following the Paris attacks and on outside of Los Angeles in which a husband and wife killed 14 people at a holiday party.
\nAccording to the Pew Research Center, an individual who knows a Muslim or Muslims is considerably more likely to rate the group favorably.
\nMoreover, data from the research center shows that Muslims rank lowest in favorability among the wider American public, polling at just 40 percent \u2013 close only to Atheists at 41 percent.
\nThe vast majority of other religious groups hover somewhere between 50-60 percent.
\n\u201cThe American public is largely uninformed about Islam and Muslims, but as much as they have formed opinions they tend to be fairly negative,\u201d Pew senior researcher Besheer Mohamed said.
\nWhile the polling organization does not have data on the views of the American public after either the Paris or California attacks, a leading Muslim civil rights group is warning of a spike in anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination following the fatal tragedies.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a great deal of fear in the Muslim community right now as to what the future is,\u201d said Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American Islamic Relations. \u201cPeople are extremely fearful right now about what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d
\nThe most recent information from the advocacy group, dated Nov. 24 \u2013 between the Paris and California assaults \u2013 warns of \u201cunprecedented backlash\u201d against Muslim Americans.
\nThe organization said it \u201chas received more reports about acts of Islamophobic discrimination, intimidation, threats, and violence targeting American Muslims [or those perceived to be Muslim] and Islamic institutions in the past week-and-a-half than during any other limited period of time since the 9\/11 terror attacks.\u201d
\nThat trend has not changed since, Hooper said.
\n\u201cUnfortunately they were already at a high level going into that attack,\u201d he said. \u201cIts been continuing since the San Bernardino killings as well.\u201d
\nWhile Americans watched from afar as militants massacred scores in the French capital, the attack near Los Angeles brought fears much closer to home.
\n\u201cIf we said after Paris, alright, you could call this Islamophobia, this is an irrational fear of Islam and Muslims,\u201d Abdul-Malik, the Imam said, then \u201cafter San Bernardino the fear becomes more rational, which is \u2013 something really happened in my neighborhood, in my country, by a person that the rest of us thought was normal.\u201d
\nAuthorities believe Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, had been radicalized since at least 2013.
\nThey were able to live what appeared to be normal lives in the U.S., with Farook holding a job at a local government agency, and the couple having just welcomed an infant daughter into their family. But below the surface were ulterior motives that went undetected until they erupted violently earlier this month.
\nThe deceit has led some toward greater prejudice against Muslim Americans.
\nA worshiper who attends the Dar al-Hijrah mosque and wished to remain anonymous said that since the attacks he has feared for the safety of his wife, who wears an Islamic head covering.
\n\u201cWe are careful whenever we are going out,\u201d he said. \u201cThese days we just restrict our movements.\u201d
\nA recent proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has only heightened concerns among some Muslims.
\n\u201cWhat went through my mind was how outrageous and ignorant the comment was,\u201d said Fazia Deen, outreach coordinator at Dar al-Hijrah.
\nA recent town hall meeting at the mosque brought to light just how dire the situation is presently.
\n\u201cWhat touched me the most were the children who actually spoke out,\u201d she said. \u201cWe had one child who said \u2018my friend wears a scarf and the kids were laughing and pulling at it, and told her to take it off.\u2019 Another child said they wanted her to go home \u2013 go back to where she came from.\u201d
\nBut even amidst growing fears and confrontations, Deen said she has faith in a better tomorrow.
\n\u201cThis too shall pass,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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