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Fort Wayne Islamic Leader Urges Separation Of Act From Muslim Faith

By Jeff Neumeyer
June 18, 2010 Updated Nov 6, 2009 at 5:17 PM EST FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana's NewsCenter) --- The president of Fort Wayne's Islamic Center says he does not fear the threat of violence against Muslims following the Fort Hood base shooting, though Tamir Rasheed concedes a backlash is not out of the question. Probably the main message that the local Islamic leader wants to drive home is that he hopes American citizens can separate the actions of the disturbed Muslim gunman, from the teachings of a peaceful religious faith. The Muslim Alliance of Indiana released a statement Friday, expressing deep shock and regret over the tragic shootings being blamed on Army Major Nidal Hasan. The Alliance stated Muslim Hoosiers are ”…proud of our soldiers and the sacrifices they make for our country.” Tamir Rasheed of Fort Wayne, who converted from Christianity to Islam in the mid-70's, is not expecting retaliation violence here. He is saddened that when a Muslim is tied to a shooting rampage, people equate the religion with radicalism. President Tamir Rasheed/Islamic Center of Fort Wayne: " Then they say that this is an Islamic terrorist or a Muslim terrorist. When Timothy McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City building, they didn't say that this was a Christian terrorist." A colleague of Hasan says the Texas shooting suspect was an outspoken critic of the U.S. war on terror, claiming it was in actuality, “a war on Islam”. Fort Wayne Police say they have not seen any acts of violence directed at Muslims since the Fort Hood shooting. Spokesperson Mike Joyner says city police don't expect any either. A board member from a Muslim society in Virginia asked for extra police patrols outside a mosque in Sterling Virginia, and in Chicago, e-mails were sent out to Muslims, urging they be more careful, so concern is real in some locations.
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