Mosque Pays The Debts Of Man Who Vandalized Their Building One Year Ago

By  Amanda Froelich Truth Theory

Fear and hatred may seem like powerful forces, but they are useless in the presence of mercy. A man named Abraham Davis recently learned this after the people he attempted to bully paid his debts and, as a result, prevented him from going to jail.

In October of 2016, Davis vandalized the Masjid Al Salam mosque in Arkansas with spray paint. He wrote on the side of the building, “go home.” Because CCTV cameras were installed, the vandal was caught in the act. One year later, Davis is a free man — and it’s all thanks to the community he previously attacked.

Arkansas Matters reports that Davis was charged with community service and a “hefty fine”. While he did get off easy, he couldn’t afford to pay the amount. “We knew this person did a bad thing and there has to be consequences for their actions. But we didn’t have any ill feelings towards anybody,” President of Al Salam Louay Nassri said.

“We heard that he was having financial problems. Now if you don’t pay your fine, that’s an automatic six years in jail. Well, we didn’t want him to go to jail for six years,” Nassri added. Because Davis was facing jail, the Mosque wrote a check and paid his debts.

The entire fee was $1,700. Reportedly, it was set aside for renovations to the mosque. However, Nassri felt paying off Davis’ debts was a worthwhile use of the funds. “After all that he had been through, we didn’t want him sitting on the severe financial stress,” Nassri said. “And like I told him, we want him to have a much better future.”

The entire community supported the decision. “We thought this was the right thing to do,” Nassri explained. “We thought if someone does something bad and came and apologized, you just forgive them. That should be the natural thing. We had no idea that this forgiveness would be an international story.”

“If he would’ve known who we are, he wouldn’t of done this,” Nassri concluded. “If we would’ve known his troubles with us, we would’ve tried to help him. Communication is extremely important. Education is extremely important.”

What a profound and moving story. If you feel inspired, please share this news and comment your thoughts below!

Read more: How Complaining Rewires Your Brain For Negativity (And How To Break The Habit)

Source: GoodNewsNetwork