Amid all the protests, bans and incendiary tweets, here’s a feel-good story that shouldn’t get lost. Last weekend, in the small town of Victoria, Texas — southeast of San Antonio — the local Islamic Center, just 16 years old, was destroyed by fire. The cause is unknown, but locals fear the worst. The fire occurred just hours after President Trump signed his hotly debated executive order banning residents of seven Muslim-majority countries.
But, according to CNN, Dr. Shahid Hashmi, a surgeon and president of the Victoria Islamic Center, said he never worried. “We’ve always had a good relationship with the community here,” he said.
This was demonstrated within hours of the fire when community elders, including leaders of different faiths, came together to offer support. The Jewish temple in town went one step further. A leader of Congregation B’Nai Israel dropped by Hashmi’s home that night, knocked on his door — and handed him the keys to the synagogue.
This is the same temple that, according to USA Today, was vandalized in 2008 with swastikas and other anti-Semitic slurs painted on the building. Thumbs up to the good people of Victoria. There are lessons to be learned from this part of Texas.
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