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US Residents Call Muslims “Terrorist”, Ask Them To Leave
ALICE, TEXAS, Jan.15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Six traveling members of the Tableeghi Jamaat, an international Muslim group, were questioned in Alice, Texas (12 miles from San Antonio), on Thursday after local residents mistook them for terrorists and called authorities.
The Alice newspaper, Echo-News Journal, reported Monday that five Pakistani nationals and a legal alien from Arlington, Texas, had stopped for lunch Thursday afternoon at Pizza Hut when they decided to travel on foot. While they were walking along Highway 44, the six men were reportedly trying to flag people down. Their traditional Pakistani attire further alarmed local residents.
Two border patrol agents and Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department officers responded to complaints concerning several suspicious looking men.
During questioning, the men told authorities that they were praying for peace, for humanity and for the city of Alice and that they were helping Muslims lead a better life. The men began their journey in November and had started out from Brownsville, Texas.
They informed police they had already visited Corpus Christi and Kingsville and were heading towards San Antonio when they were stopped.
Corporal Carlo Tanguma with the Jim Wells County Sheriff's Department said the six men were held for over an hour and a complete background check was done which revealed nothing unusual. Databases including those of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were searched, after which the men were released.
The men, who were staying in a local RV (Recreational Vehicle) park, were asked to leave Thursday evening because locals were concerned regarding their presence. Nisar Ahmed, a Corpus Christi resident, who had joined the Jamaat for a couple of days, said that his group was not angered about being asked to leave the RV park.
“To people who are scared,” he added, “I apologize for this. We are a friend.”
Tableeghi Jamaat members travel all around the world calling Muslims to live their lives according to Islam, and are recognizable by their traditional attire and beards. Two huge annual public gatherings are held in Raiwind, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
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