(December 3rd, 2015) When Mahmoud Tarifi learned the name of a suspect in Wednesday’s San Bernardino shooting, his heart sank. He said he knew the man may have been Muslim.
After officials announced that Syed Farook was a suspect, members of the faith’s community shared their sense of grief and concern.
Tarifi, a leader at the Islamic Center of Claremont, said American Muslims are accustomed to being targeted and scapegoated whenever violent Islamic extremists commit attacks.
“Every Muslim worries about being victimized,” he said. “It’s how we felt after 9/11 and after the Paris attacks.”
Aslam Abdullah, a Muslim scholar based in San Bernardino, felt a familiar pang in his stomach upon hearing the news.
