Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.
The Las Vegas Valley's first Islamic school hired 24-hour private security to protect 40 schoolchildren from potential backlash violence after Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
The Omar Haikal Islamic Academy, a new, $4 million, kindergarten through seventh grade school in Henderson, opened its doors for school Monday.
Four hours after attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon Tuesday, an unidentified man carrying a spray paint can was escorted off the school's property, allegedly taunting, "I will come back to reclaim this neighbhorhood," according to a school official.
"We were so happy with the school and now we are afraid someone will throw a bomb at the school," said Dr. Osama Haikal, president of the academy and a local physician.
Haikal and other local Muslims on Tuesday expressed sadness about the national tragedy -- and concern that other Americans will mistakenly hold all Muslims and Arab-Americans accountable for the attacks.
As of this morning, investigators were uncertain who is responsible for the attacks, although widespread speculation points to Saudi exile and terrorist Osama bin-Laden.
There are more than 10,000 Muslims in Las Vegas.
"It's really very shocking, everybody in the Muslim community who I have spoken with is shocked. We obviously don't condone this in any way, and are very sad," Haikal said. "But I also am afraid that someone might get carried away and blame the wrong people. Everybody is speculating. It is the way it was with the Oklahoma City bombing -- people immediately said it was Middle East terrorists."
School officials said they were advised by Henderson Police officers to obtain private security after the stranger was escorted from campus.
"Our parents are very concerned," said Mary Fareed, a school administrator.
"It's a sad situation," Haikal said. "I decided to go ahead and hire security. It's expensive, but if they kill a child, preventing that is worth any amount."
Students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Muslim Student Association also were afraid that there will be an unjustified backlash against them.
"Being a Muslim, this tragedy is a particular concern to us because there is this stereotype," Usman Malik, president of the association, said.
"If you look at the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, there was a lot of backlash against Muslims even though Muslims had nothing to do with it."
The American Civil Liberties Union reported receiving complaints in New York Tuesday night that two Arab taxi drivers were assaulted, allegedly because of their ethnicity.
The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations recommended that those "who wear Islamic attire should consider staying out of public areas for the immediate future," and "request additional police controls in the vicinity of mosques."
Additionally, the council called on Muslims nationwide to offer whatever assistance they can to help Tuesday's victims. The Council asked Muslim American medical professionals to go to the scenes of the attack to help, and asked individual Muslims to donate blood.
"It is terrible," said Khalid Kahn, president of the Islamic Society of Nevada. "The Islamic Society of Nevada condemns the attack against the United States. Our prayers and condolences go out to the victims and families.
"We stand together with our fellow Americans," Kahn said.
"At this point, we don't anticipate any backlash. I hope not. We are a very peaceful people and we are just like every other American."
The American Muslim Council, another Washington, D.C., Muslim organization, urged all Muslims to "condemn the cowardly terrorist attacks" in a statement Tuesday.
"American Muslims experienced violent attacks and verbal harassment in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing when our fellow citizens rushed to judgment about the perpetrators of the crime," says a statement from the council.
"We urge our fellow Americans not to be quick to stereotype Muslims, who are also suffering at this traumatic time ... Enough innocent lives have been killed today," the statement says.
Local faith leaders asked their followers not to blame other religious or ethnic groups for the tragedy.
Bishop Joseph Pepe of the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas issued a statement saying, "Because we live in a town with tourists from all parts of the world, I urge the people of Southern Nevada not to place blame on any particular group of people."
Similarly, Rabbi Sanford Akselrad of Congregation Ner Tamid said, "Events like this can either strain relations between religious groups or allow us an opportunity to dispel stereotypes. Hopefully, it will be the latter."
Mehran Tamadonfar, a UNLV political science professor who specializes in Mideast studies, warned that inappropriate retaliation would only strain international relations.
"The attack is not surprising -- what's shocking is the magnitude of it. But violence isn't going to stop terrorism," he said.
"Violence never has stopped terrorism, and it never will."
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