Near the University of Texas campus, a Muslim student was attacked by a random passerby because he assumed the student was listening to Islamic State instructions on his headphones.
The assailant attacked the Muslim student as he was walking several blocks from the Nueces Mosque near the University of Texas Campus. Umer Esmail, the mosque’s imam, feels it’s time to take precautions:
Because he had headphones on, the guy yelled at him saying are you taking instructions from ISIS. This is like a wakeup call for us, we need to do something because we have students coming here.
The recent terrorist attacks seem to have rekindled anti-Muslim fears causing people who practice the faith to be more careful. With support from their local police department, patrols have increased near the city’s mosques and other houses of worship.
Officers are surveying the surrounding area of the mosques. They are hoping to spot any potential security risks, such as tall hedgerows, faulty locks or unsecured windows.
Officer Darrell Grayson is helping in the efforts to protect students:
We don’t have any specific threats against any church or mosque or anything but it’s just we want to stay ahead of it.
It’s amazing to see the communities come together as one, regardless of differences. I think one of the most heart warming acts of kindness was from a seven year old who offered his entire piggy bank to help with the clean up after a nearby mosque was vandalized with a torn up Koran and fecal matter.
Just like the other nearby mosque, Esmail states that his mosque is also receiving encouragement from their neighbors:
The support and love that is out there is much greater than the hate.
I think the more people realize this the better off we will be as a whole. Diversity is what makes America great, and allowing fear to destroy our humanity is allowing ISIS the upper-hand.
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Featured image via Dreamstime
