Islamic communities across the United States were on heightened alert Friday on the heels of horrific mass shootings at a pair of New Zealand mosques…
Islamic communities across the United States were on heightened alert Friday on the heels of horrific mass shootings at a pair of New Zealand mosques said to be orchestrated by a white supremacist targeting Muslims.
Law enforcement officials in a host of major cities — including New York, Houston and Washington, D. C. — bolstered security at regional mosques and other Islamic centers; congressional lawmakers pronounced their solidarity with America’s Muslims; and Islamic leaders across the country urged vigilance, but also defiance, as the apparent hate-crime sent shockwaves around the globe.
“Millions of people who are Muslim will be in mosques over the next couple of hours, concerned and fearful about their lives, that someone might come and hurt them,” Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group, said Friday at a press conference in Washington.
“They have very legitimate fears, and they are being told to be afraid by white supremacists and political leaders who believe in white supremacy,” he continued. “And we tell our community: do not be afraid, and do not abandon your mosques. Not today; not ever.”
That message was amplified by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who expressed their horror with appeals for tenacity.
“This is concerning that a community that is an integral part of New York City has to be so fearful because of bigotry and hate,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N. Y.), who represents the Bronx, said Friday by phone from his district.
“There’s a lot of copycats out there, and there are many people who are just racist and hateful that will try to intimidate,” he continued. “And so we must be vigilant — that’s my message. Continue to live your life the way we all live our lives in New York: unafraid.”
Awad said he has “full confidence” in local and federal law enforcement agencies to protect Islamic communities amid heightened concerns of another attack — an issue that’s been scrutinized in recent years following similar shootings targeting minority worshipers in the United States. The list of victims includes Sikhs at a Wisconsin temple; African Americans at a historic church in South Carolina; and Jews at a Synagogue in Pittsburgh. And local officials on Friday were leaving nothing to chance.
In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered New York police to be “out in force” at mosques and other Muslim gathering spots Friday morning.
