Threatening, Anti-Muslim Message Left On Mosque's Answering Machine
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WATAUGA (KRLD-AM) -- The Masjid Al-Sahaabah mosque in Watauga is on edge after someone left a threatening message on its answering machine.
"If you think you're going to establish Sharia Law in my neighborhood in this country in Texas, you're very wrong," the caller, who claims to be a U.S. Army veteran from Watauga, says in the message that he left for the Masjid Al-Shahaabah mosque on July 30.
It was discovered over the weekend.
"People like me and my other military brothers are (expletive) heavily armed to the teeth. And we will meet you on any battleground that you want," he says.
The caller sounds more and more threatening during his two-minute expletive-laced rant.
"We will cut all of your heads off. You understand me? All of you!"
That line especially alarmed Vincent Simon. He attends the mosque, and says while the mosque regularly receives threatening calls, that one was over the top.
"When he went into the rhetoric about cutting heads off, that made me go ahead and call the local police department and the FBI," Simon says.
"They made sure that our security was taken care of," Simon continues. "They assigned some extra patrols to make sure they keep watch over us."
Simon says the mosque is keeping its members, especially parents of small children who attend the mosque, informed.
"We're being more vigilant," Simon says. "We've taken steps to find out who made the threat, and we've taken extra security steps to make sure everybody is safe."
Simon says especially in today's political climate, he invites people to learn about Islam for themselves.
"Go visit a mosque like you would go visit any church," Simon says. "There are people who are there who would be happy to talk to you about Islam."
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