A little over just one year ago, Abraham Davis spray painted swastikas and the words “go home” on the front doors of the Masjid Al Salam in Forth Smith, Arkansas. Thankfully, the mosque was able to catch him on their security cameras.
Davis then faced a felony charge with community service and a large fine. What Davis didn’t know, is that forgiveness is an integral part of the Islamic faith.
So, to kick off the new year, President of Al Salam, Louay Nassri, paid a check of $1,700 to Davis to pay off the rest of the fine. According to Arkansas Matters, Nassri said “We thought this was the right thing to do. We thought if someone does something bad and came and apologized, you just forgive them. That should be the natural thing. We had no idea that this forgiveness would be an international story.”
Fort Smith Mosque Pays the Debts of Man Who Vandalized Their Building https://t.co/WHyzBZS5Au
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) January 1, 2018
In the Quran, there’s a verse that says “Let them pardon and overlook. Would you not love for Allah to forgive you? Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
Nassri definitely demonstrated the true nature of the Islamic faith and fought this hate crime beautifully.
He even told the newspaper “If he [Davis] would’ve known who we are, he wouldn’t have done this…Education is extremely important.”
Here’s hoping more people follow Nassri’s example and make 2018 a year of being informed, educated and kind!