Burning crosses at mosque should be treated as hate crime

Editor:

As an individual that has close friends and other direct ties to the community of the World Sufi Foundation, I can say that I have been deeply concerned over the past couple of days.

The three individuals that burned the cross into the ground should have been arrested immediately. Instead, they are able to enjoy the long weekend and carry on with their normal weekend plans.

Do you know who can’t carry on with their normal weekend plans? Every single member in the World Sufi community. Instead, they have to worry about what violent acts are going to be carried out against them next, and if the violence will escalate to something worse.

Again, I am deeply concerned with how law enforcement leaders in our county handled this situation. I saw someone make an excellent point, and I couldn’t agree more with it: “If someone had burned the Muslim religious symbol into the ground of a local Christian church, there would have been an immediate and thorough investigation to find the ‘terrorist’ responsible.”

I am sure that some people might disagree with that comment, but I can say that I 100 percent agree with that statement AND in reality, it’s a fact. I’m not sure why the three individuals did what they did, but I hope that law enforcement leaders can get to the bottom of things and treat it as it is – a hate crime.

As to the World Sufi Foundation – thank you for all of the good that you do in our local communities. Your positive impact doesn’t stop here, it stretches to different countries all over the world and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I hope to see you all continue to stand strong and keep pushing forward in this tough time, many of us stand behind you and stand with you.

James White
Gaines
Legislator At-Large candidate