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Muslim leaders call for action after student prayer group at Plano park disrupted by verbal attack

By
J.D. Miles
J.D. Miles
J.D. Miles is an award-winning reporter who has been covering North Texas for CBS 11 since 1996.
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J.D. Miles

/ CBS Texas

The North Texas Muslim community is calling on local leaders to condemn a verbal attack over the weekend on a student group conducting an Islamic prayer in a public park. 

It happened in Plano, but Muslim leaders believe the same person is responsible for a similar disruption during a public prayer in Austin two months ago. 

Just before dawn over the weekend, a group of about 20 University of Texas at Dallas Muslim students gathered at Plano's Oak Point Park for what they call a "blessings breakfast," which included a prayer. It's a sacred moment for those who are Islamic. 

"It's our way of staying connected to our creator," said Mustafaa Carroll, the executive director for the Council on American Islamic Relations-DFW.

"It's very essential to our mental health and our wellness," said Shaimaa Zayan, the operations manager for CAIR-Austin.

Zayan and Carroll said that's why what happened during the group prayer was so troubling. 

A man unrelated to the group walked up and interrupted the silence. He was recorded on video launching into a verbal tirade against Islam. 

Muslims say it was unacceptable regardless of anyone's religious beliefs. 

"I think it's outrageous," said Carroll. "Could you imagine what would have happened if I went into a church and saw a bunch of people praying, whether they're Christian or Buddhist or whatever, and I just started calling them names and telling them they were going to hell, etc., etc. What would the feeling be then?"

The Muslim leaders who spoke with CBS News Texas want to see Plano city leaders, as well as police, publicly condemn the behavior and come up with safety measures to protect prayer gatherings in public places.

"I'm very afraid that it's going to escalate into some kind of violence, so we're asking for protection or help from law enforcement to curtail or put a halt to much of this stuff," Carroll said.

The man involved in the Plano incident is believed to be the same person who just two months ago interrupted an Islamic prayer service in Austin. 

"So now we see him in Dallas," said Zayan. "So I wonder if someone is paying him to move from city to city to harass Muslims?"

Plano police said they will look into the matter if and when a report is filed, which the Council on American Islamic Relations says will happen. 

*, which CAIR denies.

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