VICTORIA, Texas (AP) — Four churches and a synagogue have offered to host prayer services for members of a South Texas mosque that was destroyed by fire last weekend.
Omar Rachid, a member of the Islamic Center of Victoria, said Thursday that the offers gave “comfort at a time of great loss.”
He says the congregation has decided instead to use a commercial building that provides the space and amenities to accommodate prayer services.
Demolition of the charred remains of the mosque began Wednesday and the intention is to rebuild on the same site.
A GoFundMe campaign to rebuild the mosque has exceeded $1 million.
City spokesman O.C. Garza said Thursday it could take several weeks before the cause of the fire is determined.
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Not religious myself, but good to see real people of faith banding together against bigotry and hatred. When loudmouths start crying about “persecution” because of what’s printed on a coffee cup, I want to show them the faces of people living here in the US who have every reason to be fearful but nonetheless keep going.