An anti-Muslim rally planned for Saturday didn’t materialize in little ol’ Amarillo.
It was billed as a protest against Islam and was going to take place at an Islamic Center on South Soncy Road. What happened, though, was something quite remarkable.
It became a rally in support of those of varying religious faiths. Imagine that. The 100 or so demonstrators were arguing in favor of what the U.S. Constitution lays out there, which is that all faiths are to share honor equally in this country.
The anti-Muslim protest not only fizzled; it never got lit.
The Islamic center is the project of Dr. Ali Jaffar, a renowned physician in Amarillo, who builtĀ the centerĀ to honor his late mother.
I recall distinctly when it was going up some comments I heard from acquaintances of mine who — are you ready for this? — were certain that the center would become a “place where they could train terrorists.”
My response? Sure it is. They’re going to train the bad guys to do evil things in a place where everyone on Earth can see it.
Well, such nutty “thinking” — and I use the term loosely — was supposed to resurface again this weekend.
It didn’t. Instead it gave way to a more reasonable and rational world view.
Thank goodness.