Donations rebuild burned mosque
Center welcomes community that funded rebuilding
VICTORIA — On a quiet day several months ago, when the new Victoria Islamic Center was only half built, Dr. Shahid Hashmi slipped inside to pray.
“I had stolen the time before, when nobody was here,” even as the new mosque was still rising, “for my own satisfaction,” said Hashmi, the center’s president and one of its longest members.
In August, more members of the mosque gathered for prayers on Eid al-Adha, their first time back in the new building after the mosque was burnt down on Jan. 28, 2017. Unable to eat or share gifts, as they would normally have done, they instead celebrated the rest of the holiday at IHOP, Hashmi recalled. “Our day was when we prayed,” he said.
An open house Saturday, celebrating the mosque reopening, wasn’t for himself or for the members, he said. “Today is for them,” he said — for the community and the supporters who helped make rebuilding possible.
“Today we celebrate you,” he told the crowd that gathered outside, and “the love and support of our neighbors and friends.” Every seat under the tent was full, and many more stood to hear from the mosque’s leaders and tour the new building.
More than 20,000 people donated more than $1.1 million to rebuild the mosque after Marq Vincent Perez, 26, set fire to the building.
In July, Perez was found guilty of arson, commission of a hate crime and use of an unregistered destructive device in an unrelated car bombing. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2 and faces up to 40 years in prison.
Perez’s conviction brought a sense of peace, Hashmi said, even though some remain worried. Initially, there was “big time anxiety,” he said. “The tension is still there now, but by the grace of God, things are good.”
Treasurer Abe Ajrami told the crowd that the day’s story was about the people who had made the aftermath of the tragedy into “a bright star in the night sky.”
He praised the law enforcement who worked the case, and the many people who brought donations, as small as a child’s money from the tooth fairy and from dozens of countries around the world. He thanked those who offered temporary places to pray, and those who refused to let the crime taint the community.
When Perez entered the mosque in January, he was searching for what he believed were weapons and terrorists, prosecutors said during his trial. He would have found that, Ajrami said, had he looked in the mirror instead.
The mother of Perez’s children was in the crowd attending the ceremony, he said.
In front of the new center, friends, families and neighbors embraced, while children played.
Inside, community members toured the building, where sparkling chandeliers light the new prayer halls and thick red and gold carpets cover the floor. A golden crescent moon lines the ceiling under the front dome, matching those atop the minaret outside.
At each door, locks and keypads secure the building, one of the new security measures installed.
In the community room, collages of letters, cards and messages of support hang on the wall, while empty classrooms wait for students to return.
On the day after the fire, hundreds gathered across the street from the mosque to pray together. On Saturday, Mai Abu Shakra recalled her hesitation to attend, and her worries about bringing her youngest daughter with her.
When she arrived and saw the crowds, she said, she was shocked by the size and realized she was not alone.
Among that crowd was Sister Amata Hollas, who returned Saturday with other Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. “We are one on this journey, we’re all God’s children,” she said. “We’re here to support them today.”
Burhan Fili traveled 24 hours from Albania to attend the open house, which he called “a reflection of the goodness of people.”
A former Houston resident who had visited the mosque before the fire, Fili recalled watching it burn on television as the crime became “the news of the world.”
Seeing the international support in response shows “that goodness has no nationality,” he said. “This is a great reflection not only of the Muslims of Victoria but the whole community of Victoria.”
“We are elated beyond words,” Omar Rachid said. “We cannot describe the gratitude and emotions that come with seeing a beautiful building rising from the ashes.”
The prayers and support from the community “ensured us a better tomorrow,” he said. “And that tomorrow is today.”