Posted on 11/29/2016 7:23:33 AM PST by TigerClaws
At an off-campus coffee shop Monday, Ohio State University senior Mohamed Farah catches up on his homework.
"I didn't get a lot of work done today just because there's a lot going on," he says. "I tried to stay away from the news, but I kept going back to it."
Enlarge this image Ohio State University senior Mohamed Farah says his stomach fell when he heard the attacker was also a Somali refugee. Esther Honig/WOSU 89.7 Farah first learned of an attack on campus when security sent a text to the entire university: "Active shooter on campus: Run Hide Fight."
But the attacker did not use a firearm. According to police, he drove a car into pedestrians, then got out and attacked people with a butcher knife. Eleven people were injured before police shot and killed the suspect.
Farah says at first he feared for the safety of his friends and fellow students. Then, as more details were confirmed, his fears turned inward.
"When I first heard that he was Somali, I mean my stomach did fall," he says. "Not just because of what happened today, but because of what will happen tomorrow."
Police identified the suspect as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, who The Associated Press say was a refugee from Somalia.
Farah, who is a Somali refugee and a Muslim, says attacks blamed on terrorism have a familiar aftermath on campus: snide comments, peering eyes and a feeling of uneasiness.
Suspect Killed After Knife And Vehicle Attack At Ohio State University THE TWO-WAY Suspect Killed After Knife And Vehicle Attack At Ohio State University "Those Somali men and women, the ones that wear a head scarf or the ones like myself with the name Mohamed, tomorrow will be a day of trepidation," he says.
Looking through tweets, Farah says the negative ones from his fellow OSU students are the most painful, like one that says as a Somali refugee, Artan "bit the hand that fed him."
"That one really, it shakes the core of you, you know," Farah says.
At the moment little is known about Artan. Authorities believe he acted alone but they do not know the motives behind the attack. In August, the recent transfer student was interviewed by the school newspaper in a series called "Humans of OSU." Artan said he didn't feel comfortable praying on campus.
Enlarge this image Horsed Noah, director of one of the largest Islamic centers in Columbus, says when he heard about the attack he had one though: "I hope [the suspect] is not a Muslim." Esther Honig/WOSU 89.7 "If people look at me, a Muslim praying," he said, "I don't know what they're going to think."
Horsed Noah, director of one of the largest Islamic centers in Columbus, runs a youth group for Somali men and women. He says he didn't know Artan, but reading that interview, he thinks the young man had become isolated.
"That definitely should have been a red flashing light," Noah says.
Noah says when he first heard about the attack at OSU, he had one thought: "I was with my wife and I said, 'I hope he is not a Muslim.' "
On Monday, Noah held community meetings to calm parents and children who are scared to return to work and school. He says his community is as shocked as the rest of the country.
Today, classes at OSU resume.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dreading it, but I don't think I'm going to skip class. I think I'm going to be there. I'm going to have conversations," Farah says. "I choose love. I affirm life.
Farah says he is as proud as ever to be a Buckeye.
Gosh, if we aren't careful these folks might go back to their own countries!
It's interesting the 12 people with "GOD HATES FAGS" signs represent all of Christianity, but the thousands of murdering Muslims we see every year have nothing to do with Islam.
So true.
Muslim snowflakes better treat to their safe space.
Don’t worry, libs hate America as much as they do.
Backlash?!! They’ve only started to see backlash. Keep this crap up and you’ll see plenty of backlash.
Send the vermin home!
Geez... I wonder why?
After every Muslim terror attack, the media bring out these stories, telling us how there are fears of backlash in the Muslim community.
The media seem to run on prescribed story lines. So, now that we have endured yet another terrorist attack committed by a deranged Muslim, they bring out stories already written, about fears of the Muslims about backlash. The stories were already written; they just waited for opportune times to publish these stories.
Only way to keep Americans safe is to deport with extreme prejudice!
muslims cannot coexist with infidels. Period! We need to rid ourselves of them.
That murderous scum Dylann Roof, who killed Christian worshippers in cold blood, was immediately tied to the Confederate flag. And a SYMBOL of southern heritage was almost completely removed nearly OVERNIGHT from public display.... despite the fact that MILLIONS of southern people, black and white, are not racists or bigots.
OTOH, the media and the government REFUSE to make obvious ties to violence and Islam.
Ya’ think?
This should be thrown in the face of every prog apologist for the death cult that is Islam.
Muslim attempts mass murder, and the media races to protect the fears of those who share kinship with the terrorist, and not the fears of those who share kinship with the victims. Unreal.
How's about publicly, loudly, repeatedly and SINCERELY repudiating violence as a means of religious discourse?
How about speeking out against muslim violence every time it happens?
How about rendering aid to victims of muslim terrorist attacks?
Aw geesh, we all knew this was coming. Their murderous muslim minions maim and kill innocent people and a day later they try to make their own murderous selves the victims.
Disgusting riff raff.
Perhaps the “Muslim community” should take steps to end this Muslim problem. By that won’t happen.
Just asking because I have not heard, have any groups denounced this act of violence yet??
The backlash will be less if you go home.
Yeah, we need to defeat our enemies, not welcome them and give them money.
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