ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. -
For the local Muslim community the news of the violent riots is disappointing. Those living locally say the religion is all about promoting peace. The images coming out of the middle east of riots, violence, and destruction are disturbing.
"This is not Islam," said Taysir Al-Khatib, President of the Islam Society of Vermont, he is outraged by the events, "To do a riot and to kill somebody that is not an Islamic behavior or manners."
Officials says the Anti- Islam film, produced in the U.S., sparked the riots at several U.S. Embassy's.
Al-Khatib says the film spreads lies about the Prophet Muhammad.
"Telling the prophet that he is a child molester, and he cannot be trusted," said Al- Khatib, who explains the video.
There are over 3,000 Muslims living in Vermont, they say they don't agree with the violence.
"We should be calm, we should educated people about the religion and how the prophet dealt with this in the past," said Al-Khatib.
Deborah Al-Khatib, has been married to Taysir for 25 years, and she is both sad and frustrated. Frustrated, that violence is being caused by fringe extremists not comparable to the Islam religion, "They probably don't have jobs, don't have anything going for them so it's easy to blame someone."
And sad because, the American Islamic community has to face adversity because of their actions.
"The people in the mosque want to do one thing, a lot of them have come here just to raise their families they don't want to be dragged back into this," said Deborah Al-Khatib.
