President Obama’s Thank You to Muslims in Oklahoma-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
President Obama sent a “thank you” note to the Muslim community in Moore, Oklahoma, where a man accused of beheading a co-worker allegedly attended religious services.
The Truth:
Department of Homeland Security Official David Myers delivered a message from President Obama to the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City during its “Feast of Sacrifice” celebration in October 2014.
Meyers read a message in which the president extended “warm greetings” from the American people and lauded the Muslim community there for its relief work after a tornado tore through the area in 2013, local station KFOR reports.
“Your service is a powerful example of the powerful roots of the Abrahamic faiths and how our communities can come together with shared peace with dignity and a sense of justice,” Meyers read from Obama’s message in a video posted by KFOR.
The eRumor’s claims that Alton Nolen, the man accused of beheading one co-worker at Vaughn Foods and wounding another with a knife in September 2014, attended services held by the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City also appear true. Local authorities said shortly after Nolen’s arrest that he was a recent convert to the Muslim faith and had tried to convert co-workers. However, the FBI approached Nolan’s case as a matter of “workplace violence,” the Washington Post reports. The FBI uses specific criteria to define terrorism, and Nolen had a lengthy criminal record prior to the incident, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections records.
Several members of a prominent mosque in Oklahoma City recalled seeing Nolan attend prayer services. They described him as “quiet, low-key and odd,” the Oklahoman reports. The name and location of the mosque was not disclosed due to security concerns. Leaders of the mosque denounced Nolen’s actions and said Nolan was “as far away as he could be” in keeping with Islam.
Posted 10/08/14