On Saturday, the Islamic Association of Raleigh threw open its doors for a "Meet Your Muslim Neighbor" event that drew 600 people, including two congressmen, one cabinet secretary and several mayors.
On Monday, the association faced its biggest nightmare: Seven men, all of whom at one point worshiped at the association's mosque, were arrested and charged with plotting to carry out terrorist attacks abroad.
For years, the Raleigh Muslim community had worked to improve relations with the wider Triangle population and ease tensions caused by the terrorist bombings of Sept. 11, 2001. Now it faces its biggest public relations challenge and a potential setback to all its efforts. A family respected in the community was arrested and charged with fomenting violence and holy war.
Daniel Boyd, a U.S. native and a Johnston County resident, is accused of recruiting young men to join the cause of violent jihad. The 39-year-old father of five was a regular at Friday prayers where worshipers form neat lines for a series of prostrations.
"He was there in the first line with his children," said Hamdy Radwan, who on occasion delivered the "hutba" or sermon at the Raleigh mosque. "Everybody's shocked and unbelieving."
The news has triggered conflicting emotions.
On the one hand, Muslims in the community genuinely liked the Boyds, including sons Dylan and Zakariya, as well as the four other men charged with terrorism. On the other, they have revulsion for the charges.
Respect for the Boyds
The federal indictment against Boyd states that he quit attending the mosque over "ideological differences." He found the theological attitudes at the Raleigh mosque too compromising for his radical brand of Islam, according to a federal indictment.
But whatever disagreements Boyd had, he and his family remain highly regarded. He recently attended the Jaamat Ibad Ar-Rahman mosque in Durham.
"The whole family, anybody that knew them, liked them," said Jasmin Smajic of Cary, who visited the Boyds' Willow Spring home.
In response to the arrests, mosque leaders reverted to old habits. They decided not to allow its two imams, or prayer leaders, to be interviewed by reporters, and returned to issuing tersely worded statements.
"The Islamic Association of Raleigh takes no official position on any pending criminal matters," read the statement on its Web site.
The association is the largest mosque in the Triangle, a 40,000-square-foot complex near the heart of the N.C. State University campus.
The mosque draws an estimated 1,200 people for Friday prayers, including a diverse mix of immigrants and children of immigrants. It also draws some African-Americans and converts.
Foundations of trust
Over the past few years, mosque leaders made deliberate efforts to establish good relations with law enforcement officials. At its open house, an FBI agent from Raleigh as well as Charlotte attended.
Retired federal agent Steve Miller said he developed such good working ties with local imams, he invited two to participate in a U.S. Army Worldwide Antiterrorism Conference in Orlando in January.
"They were able to give an overview of what it's like to be an American Muslim, and it was very well-received," said Miller, who served as the lead liaison for the Muslim community for the Raleigh Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Still, whatever warm feelings the mosque was able to establish, many Muslims across the Triangle harbor deep disagreements with U.S. foreign policy, especially toward Israel and the Middle East. And that means internal discussion about international issues often becomes heated and occasionally harsh.
"This doesn't mean we hate America," said Waleed Elhentaty, vice president of the nonprofit Muslim American Public Affairs Council. "We are using legal means to talk to politicians and educate them on the issues."
Suspicions of infiltration
Already in some circles, Muslims have raised issues of Islamophobia and racism connected with the arrests (though a majority of the men are white). Some younger Muslims who grew up with the men arrested have posted Facebook comments claiming the men are innocent and the arrests part of a coordinated law-enforcement set-up.
It's hard to say how widespread those feelings are, but there is certainly concern about the way law-enforcement agents have used informants to penetrate Muslim communities.
"There's a pattern here that the government sends informants into their midst and they act as agent provocateurs," said Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Muslim studies at Duke University.
Just this past May, four Muslim men arrested in a plot to bomb two synagogues and fire a missile at a military jet in Newburgh, N.Y. may have been coaxed into their plan by an undercover FBI informant, several New York City newspapers reported.
With this and other events in the background, it's no surprise the Muslim community is concerned.
"We are worried how the FBI will treat these people," said Elhentaty. "In other cases, they've dragged it on and on. I hope it will be fast and efficient."
