MTSU professor fears more violent acts against Islamic Center; gunshots heard at site

What started out as a peaceful Sunday outing with friends soon turned into a jarring evening for an MTSU professor who says he heard nine gunshots while visiting the site of the new Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.

"It was a feeling I've never felt before," said Saleh Sbenaty, a computer engineering technology professor and member of the mosque planning committee. "I was on the phone and all of a sudden I heard in the distance a loud pop."

Officials with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department responded to Veals Road about 3 p.m. Sunday to investigate the noise. When Sheriff's deputies arrived, they did not find any evidence of a shooting.

Sbenaty said he was at the site with another family when he heard six shots and called 911. Prior to the noise, Sbenaty said a TV station had been interviewing the family but left before the shots were fired.

While speaking with dispatch, he said he heard three more shots fired from a different direction. Concerned about his safety, Sbenaty said he took cover behind one of the construction vehicles.

"Now it's becoming much more serious than an opposition to building a religious facility," he said.

Authorities told Sbenaty the shots could have been people hunting or practicing target shooting. He says the shots seemed like a ploy to scare the Muslim community, much like the construction vehicle that was set ablaze Saturday.

The FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agency are now investigating the incident.

Sbenaty said seeing the torched equipment was devastating and brought tears to his eyes. His daughter Lema, 19, a junior majoring in chemistry, said the fire frightened a lot of people in the Muslim community from going certain places and attending Ramadan dinners at the current center.

Her hope is that the candlelight vigil scheduled at 7 p.m. tonight at the Rutherford County Courthouse will unite people in the community, regardless of their race or religion. The organization holding the vigil is Middle Tennesseans for Religious Freedom. It is not affiliated with the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.