A handful of House Democrats will meet early Friday afternoon at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, a Northern Virginia mosque that has controversial ties to terrorists who have engaged in terrorist acts against the United States.
For example, it was widely reported that some of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers attended the mosque, and that Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan worshipped there.
Anwar al-Awlaki, who the U.S. government believes was a recruiter for Islamic terrorists, was an imam, or a prayer leader, at the mosque.
Still, Democratic Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and Joe Crowley of New York said praying at the mosque will help demonstrate that Congress stands against incidents of violence against Muslims.
“Intolerance and hatred have no place in American society,” Beyer said this week. “We are a diverse nation of immigrants whose shared cultural heritage is one of openness and inclusion. We must celebrate this diverse thread of our cultural cloth, not tear it apart.”
The three lawmakers told their colleagues this week that Americans must resist claims that “all Muslims are terrorists” in the wake of terrorist incidents around the world that have been tied to radical Islamic extremism.
A representative of the mosque said many Muslims in the area have felt “under siege” over the last few weeks.
“Women taking their children to school have been heckled by passersby, and we experienced two incidences of hate violence,” said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik. “It is with the support of good neighbors like Congressmen Beyer, Ellison, and Crowley that we carry on knowing that our future will be brighter.”
The lawmakers said the Dar Al-Hijrah center received a bomb threat, and that Molotov cocktails were thrown in the parking lot.
They said after a prayer service at the mosque at 12:15 p.m., the lawmakers and representatives of the mosque would address reporters.
