In the past few years there have been a number of attacks against the Muslim community that have been characterized as hate crimes or Islamophobia. Within the past six months in western Washington alone, there were three attacks against Islamic centers. And in early March, a fourth one against Muslim American Youth Foundation (MAYF) in Burien, Washington, 15 minutes south of Seattle.
Dr. Yahya Suufi, the imam of the center, says that he heard a loud crash while in the center shortly after 9 am on March 7. By the time he was able to come out and survey the scene, he discovered shattered glass and the remains of a car bumper. Someone rammed a car into the side of the building and fled.
“We as a community take this incident very seriously, as the area hit by the vehicle is the sole place of worship with the MAYF facility,” Suufi says. “If people had been praying in that prayer space, it could have resulted in significant bodily harm or even potentially a fatality.”
Not too far from MAYF, in late 2021, someone set a fire at the Islamic Center of Tacoma. In Washington’s capitol, someone threw an explosive device into the Islamic Center of Olympia, in a predominantly Cambodian community. In Mountlake Terrace, Masjid Umar Al-Farooq was vandalized. These subsequent attacks against Muslims make it difficult for community members to assume that this was unintentional.
Luckily, the center has video surveillance, which the police are investigating. The perpetrator appeared to be driving a silver Toyota Corolla. “And it’s no accident,” Suufi says. The perpetrator had to manage to drive under metal chain to gain access into the parking lot to then ram the car into the building and speed away within minutes.
The following day at a press conference, community members were side by side with members of other communities and other faiths. Law enforcement and elected officials on the federal, state, and city levels were in attendance, including Burien Police Chief, Ted Boe. In solidarity, they condemned attacks on places of worship, while holding signs that read “We stand with our Muslim neighbors.”
Community members are shaken by the incident, in a center that opened less than a year ago. And it was especially disheartening for Ahlam Nur, a 21-year-old Washington native who’s been with the community since the beginning. “I was just devastated when hearing the news”, Nur says. “I remember the first opening of MAYF where we hosted an Eid prayer. We made goodie bags for both adults and kids, setting up photo booths, and creating a welcome space.” And now, this.
Nur and her family have been active in raising funds and took part in MAYF’s grand opening last year. She was a part of decorating the masjid on its first Eid. “Never could any of us imagine that someone would drive right into our safe space and flee from the scene,” she says. “It’s terrible what happened to the center that so many of us hold dearly in our hearts.”
Another community member, Zainab, is also trying to come to grips with the attack, saying that MAYF is “a place where I feel safe, secure, and can clear my mind of all thoughts. It hurts to think someone would want to damage such a place that brings us all peace.”
MAYF serves as a safe haven for the underserved youth. More than just a place of prayer, Nur says that MAYF serves as a community center with family night events in which there are bouncy houses, basketball games, and more. And they even have bigger plans to have an in-door basketball gym.
While MAYF represents a wholesome place of peace and prayer, violence found it. And with the onslaught of attacks raising some anxiety among community members, they’ve still been able to bear through it with the leadership of their imam, Suufi, who has maintained calm and urged the fight for unity.
“It was powerful to see the community collectively join us to send the message that despite efforts to divide us, we are stronger together,” Suufi says. “An attack on one is really an attack on all.”