Solidarity with Muslims shows us the hallmarks of our country’s spirit
Community response to Victoria mosque fire was true reflection of what America’s about
America is the best country in the world, and ours is one of the most compassionate, caring and loving cities in our great nation. Every time our city faces a crisis — whether it be a hurricane, a flood or some other tragedy — Houstonians and Texans band together to take care of one another.
On Jan. 28, fire destroyed the Islamic Center of Victoria. This created a tangible test of the moral mettle of Texans. Within a few days, the community raised more than $1 million to rebuild the mosque. This feat was accomplished through the humanity of more than 20,000 of our fellow Americans, both Muslims and non-Muslims.
An official of the Islamic Center, Omar Rachid, reported a tremendous, “outpouring of love, kind words, hugs, helping hands and … financial contributions.” One donor whose ancestors fled to the United States from Europe due to persecution of Jewish communities added a note that read in part, “whatever the cause of this fire, no community should lose its home.” Another donor wrote, “I’m an atheist and I am deeply saddened and disgusted by what was done to you. Religious freedom and freedom from persecution are fundamental rights!” In an act of beautiful solidarity, the Jewish community has offered to share their only synagogue in Victoria with their Muslims neighbors so that they might have a place for prayers while the mosque is being rebuilt.
These demonstrations of affection, love, support, friendship, faith and trust are the true hallmarks of the American spirit.
As a Muslim, I am particularly grateful to our fellow citizens for the many sustained expressions of care and solidarity they have shown. As the final messenger of God, the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), once said, “One who is not grateful to people, is not grateful to God.” And so while I am grateful to God, I am also grateful to all of my friends and neighbors for their outpouring of love support. But I am also especially grateful for America itself.
Where else but here could so many people of such different backgrounds come together as one people? Where else but America?
There is lot of anxiety and fear among the Muslim community in light of recent actions in Washington. But it is the actions of my friends and neighbors right here in Texas that help to calm those fears. Houston is blessed with an exemplary degree of cordiality, mutual acceptance and cooperation among all segments of society. Proof of this harmony is found in the catalogue of messages of solidarity and unselfish support being communicated directly
from fellow Houstonians to the Islamic community.
To demonstrate my gratitude to the many people of this community, I invite my fellow Americans to visit our mosques and our homes to get to know us and give us the opportunity to be your personal friends.
American Muslims are committed to keeping their families, their neighbors and their society safe. We are members of the U.S. armed forces and we are first responders. We are doctors, engineers, teachers and scientists. We are entrepreneurs and workers. We are exactly like you.
And because we share so much in common, I urge everyone to stand strong in these difficult times. As our elected leaders muddle through the coming months and years, we need to remind them of who we are: We are a city, a state and a country that cares about each other. It has never been more important for us to show our solidarity and lead our politicians by our example. They need to understand that when they make decisions, they should be doing so for the benefit of us all.
If we can show our leaders what it really means to care about your fellow man — show them how those 20,000 people reached out to the Muslim community in Victoria — then perhaps we can teach them an important lesson about what it really means to be an American.