Cleaning up the remnants of the shattered glass door, the members of a southeast Calgary Islamic Centre are expressing compassion.
The Queensland facility was targeted by vandals sometime Friday night.
Members insist it’s not a time for retaliation but it’s a time to forgive.
The culprit smashed the glass front door. Inside, they tossed a burned copy of the Quran and left a threatening note.
The president of the Islamic Centre, Junaid Mahoon, said the letter is now in the hands of the Calgary Police Service’s hate crimes unit.
He said he was concerned the author of the letter may escalate his level of violence.
“He felt strongly about refugees coming here and he threatened violence,” Mahoon said.
“He wrote about Donald Trump as his ideal and had a lot of grievances.”
Police said they have stepped up patrols in the area to ensure the safety of the community.
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Even area residents themselves are reaching out; moved to help in any way they can.
“I was appalled and shocked this is happening,” long-time Queensland resident Glenys Godlovitch said. “It distressed me and I wanted to reach out and see if I can offer sympathy,” she said.
“Anything I can do to reassure the brothers and sisters it’s not a sentiment of the entire community.”
These despicable incidents seem to be on the rise. Just days ago, anti-Muslim posters went up at the University of Calgary campus.
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Last December, an LRT station was targeted with racist graffiti.
A University of Calgary professor who teaches about diversity and human rights said it is shocking.
“There’s a cultural milieu some people call ‘Trumpism’ in terms of permission to express narrow-minded thoughts out loud,” Darren Lund said.
“It’s crude and extreme and not a sign of a trend but there’s been a bubbling up.”