ORLANDO, Fla. — Members of Central Florida's Muslim community condemned the terror attacks in Brussels on Tuesday.
Leaders of the Islamic Center of Orlando said the attackers are not true Muslims and their attacks are making it tougher on Muslims who live in the United States.
The center has not received any threats as a result of the attacks, but the imams said many local Muslims live with a sense of fear. They said people tend to link them to such attackers.
The imams said they're working to establish a strong relationship with people and law enforcement in the community so that all sides can better understand one another.
Leaders expressed concerns about some of the comments from presidential candidates about greater surveillance of the Islamic community. The imams believe that would only strain the relationship-building process between the two sides.
"When you say Islam is evil, you are hurting the feelings of so many peaceful Muslims who have been living here for years," Tariq Rasheed, president of the Islamic Center of Orlando, said.
The imams believe that the attackers have hijacked their religion and made all Muslims look bad.
"The religion of Islam doesn't promote (the attacks). Islam is a religion of peace, and as you know, 1.6 billion people are practicing Islam peacefully, and that's what Islam is all about," Rasheed said.
The imams said they're taking part in local efforts to prevent young people from becoming radicalized in Central Florida.
"In this fight against ISIS, we are all united. Muslims want to fight against ISIS and Muslims truly believe that ISIS people have nothing to do with Islam," Rasheed said.