(Jewish Group) Muslim groups show support for Jewish community after Dallas hostage crisis

In the aftermath of the hostage crisis in Colleyville, Texas at the Congregation Beth Israel, religious groups are coming together to condemn the actions of Malik Faisal Akram, the British national behind Saturday’s crisis.

“I swear to my lord and maker, that there is no act that can justify going into a holy place of worship and holding people hostage,” said Khalid Hamideh of the Islamic Association of North Texas. “I don’t care what your motivation is, it’s entirely wrong and unjust.”

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“Antisemitism is real, and we feel with our Jewish brothers and sisters,” Hamideh said. He added that individuals who commit these crimes are doing “something that is absolutely unconstitutional, illegal, inhumane – because we feel the same thing with Islamophobia.”

The Islamic community in North Texas has had strong relations with the Jewish community for many years. Hamideh recalls times when he would visit the synagogue to learn more about the Jewish faith, and when the synagogue’s congregants would, in turn, come to his mosque to learn about Islam.

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