The leader of the Grand Strand Islamic Center, Fawzi Bennani, says his community has never felt unwelcome in Myrtle Beach.
On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, President Barack Obama said Friday, the enemy is not Islam, but extremist groups like Al-Qaida. But polls show, nearly half of Americans now hold negative views of Islam and a majority oppose an Islamic community center near Ground Zero.
The feast of Eid marks the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan. In Myrtle Beach Friday, local Muslims ended their holiday meal with cookies, conversation and kids enjoying playtime.
The leader of the Grand Strand Islamic Center, Fawzi Bennani, says his community has never felt unwelcome in Myrtle Beach. "The people in this area treat us very well. We are very welcome. They are very accommodating."
Bennani says many local Muslims are doctors, lawyers and engineers, people who want to be a part of the Grand Strand community. "We have not heard of any case where our people are not treated well."
Bennani says Grand Strand Muslims are focused on local matters and have spent little time discussing the Islamic center near Ground Zero. But, he says, they have paid attention to Reverend Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who had planned to burn copies of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, this weekend. "In our gathering, at the end of our gathering, we prayed for him."
Bennani was pleased to hear that Jones has apparently backed off the Koran-burning stunt. He says it got more national media attention than it deserved.
Bennani says he is concerned about anti-Muslim sentiment in other parts of the country, but he says time will eventually heal the wounds of 9/11. "The majority of the people know that 19 people who did the attack do not represent Islam and that's very positive."
For now, the Grand Strand Islamic Center has a small, donated space in an industrial park, but they are raising money for a building they can call their own.
Around 300 people attended the Myrtle Beach Eid celebration Friday, out of a total community of around 1,000 people.
