News Release
Islamic Association of North Texas
840 Abrams Road
Richardson, TX 75081
Contact: IANT Public Relations
(972) 231-5698 ext. 300 / pr@iant.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) strongly condemns the shooting that unfolded in downtown Dallas, Texas.
DALLAS (July 8, 2016) – The Islamic Association of North Texas, on behalf of our congregation and extended community, extends our sincerest of condolences to the Dallas Police Department, DART, and, especially, to the family of the officers who gave their lives in the line of duty to ensure the security of our citizens last night.
Our organization routinely relies on the services of our local police departments to protect our congregants as they arrive for prayer. Most recently, we were grateful to have Dallas Police present at our annual Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Fair Park, hosting over 7,000 attendees. We cannot stress enough the admiration, support, loyalty, and respect we have for our men and women in blue. We are humbled and grateful to have the relationships that we do with our local and national law enforcement, and we pray for their security and comfort.
We are devastated to hear of the attackers disturbing peaceful protests, an intrinsic right of the people, by targeting, and executing police officers. These individuals do not represent the intentions of the organizers of the protesters, or even of those present. The #BlackLivesMatter movement, something dear to IANT, is not about violence or even politics. It is a movement — asking, pleading even — for Black lives to receive the same respect and security like every other human being in this country. No citizen should have to live in fear in their country due to their gender, religion, sexual orientation, or the color of their skin.
Incidents such as the Sterling and Castile shootings, controversial as they should be, ought not to be discussed with fists or bullets, but rather with words. Only with dialogue can we progress as a society, as a nation, and not fall into chaos.
Again, we at IANT offer our condolences to those officers who have fallen in the line of service, to the protesters who in their time of peaceful dialogue were met with bullets, to our extended Dallas family, and to those who every day champion our progress as a nation, both politically and ideologically. May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.
Established in 1969, the Islamic Association of North Texas is a not-for-profit religious organization dedicated to providing services to the more than 150, 000 Muslims living in the North Texas region, and promoting interfaith dialogue with neighboring communities.
All media related questions should be directed to Khalid Hamideh, Esquire. He can be reached via his cell at 469-867-7886, or via the contact information presented at the beginning of this release. |
