Mosque pays for man’s ticket to freedom
Jan 2, 2018, 10:45 AM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 10:01 am
Vandalism at mosques across the country is a regular headline, but in one case in Arkansas, the outcome of the vandalism would certainly set it apart.
Back in October 2016, KARK TV reports the Masjid Al Salam mosque in Fort Smith was vandalized. The man who did it, Abraham Davis, was caught because of surveillance video. He faced six years in prison for the felony conviction if he didn’t complete community service and pay a fine of nearly $1,700.
Davis couldn’t pay the fine, according to reports, but received his ticket to freedom anyway from the people he hurt the most. The mosque leadership decided to pay the fine.
“We heard that he was having financial problems. Now, if you don’t pay the fine you go to jail for six years. We don’t want him to go to jail for six years,” Al Salam President Louay Nassri said.
The mosque had intended to use that money for renovations but decided this would be a good use for the money, too.
“We thought that this is the right thing to do. We thought that if somebody did you something bad and came and apologized you forgive them. If we had known who we are he wouldn’t have done this. And if we had known his troubles we’d have helped him. Communication is extremely important. Education is extremely important,” Nassri said.
KARK reached out to Davis about the gesture, but he declined to comment. However, they reported he was thankful and had just recently secured a steady job.
You can hear Colleen O’Brien’s “Daily Dose of Kindness” segment every morning at 7:30 a.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.
