PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFTS) — For the Islamic community, members are not only remembering the lives lost on 9/11… they are also keeping their safety in the back of their mind.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued an advisory for the next few days, asking mosques to increase security.
"One thing that we remember is the loss of innocent life during that tragic event. And in Islam we are taught that life is valuable, and any innocent life lost is a tragedy," said Mounir Bourkiza with Arqam’s Academy.
Bourkiza leads an Islamic School in St. Pete and said 9/11 is not only a day of sadness… but it's also a day of caution.
"I wish I didn’t have to worry about this, really because there are more important things to do," said Bourkiza.
He said people have viewed Muslims in a negative light over the last 25 years.
"We feel like we got associated with something that we don't have much to do with, and that left a big impact in our community," he said.
Because of this, the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued an advisory for the next few days, asking mosques to increase security.
"After September 11, there has been this very false narrative and association between Muslims and the acts that had taken place. So we want the community to be aware that they can practice safely, but we just ask that they have some additional vigilance on behalf of this," said Chelsea Mandriguez with CAIR.
She said safety is top of mind.
She recommends leaders of mosques be vigilant through the weekend.
Leaders at the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg said they are doing all they can to make sure their congregation is safe over the next few days.
"It could be as simple as having additional ushers in a facility; it could be identifying the best practices for safety routes, knowing who to call in case of emergency, and knowing what to do in the case of agitator presence," said Mandriguez.
"We remind everyone to carry on with their day, normal, but just be extra careful because you don't know what could happen on a day like this," said Bourkiza.
Bourkiza said he hopes the negative stigma surrounding Muslims fades over time.
"If I didn’t have to worry about a day like this, that Muslims have nothing to do with, then it would have been much, much better for us, for our children and for our nation," he said.
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