Following the shootings at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas on Thursday, those at the Islamic Center for PEACE in Fort Myers have requested additional police patrols, though there have so far been no threats to the center.
Alibaba Lumumba, president of the center, said anytime there is a crime allegedly committed by a Muslim, the whole Muslim community suffers.
“But when there is a Christian who commits a crime, we don’t get into his religion or whether he wears a cross or not,” Lumumba said. “It’s a lack of knowledge about what Islam is and what it is not. Such acts of violence, especially if there were women, children or elderly who were hurt, are not condoned by Islam.”
Lumumba said he learned of the shootings after receiving a call from a religious leader at a different center, who also expressed concern of the safety of Muslims in their community.
“We do send our condolences to all the families that lost someone from that shooting, and to the people that were injured, I pray for them that their injuries will heal,” Lumumba said.