Redeeming Abraham Davis
Image from Pixabay
When a friend and drinking buddy suggested vandalizing the Al Salam Mosque in Fort Smith, Arkansas, twenty-year-old Abraham Davis drove him and a third young man to the mosque in his mother’s white minivan. Abraham stood watch as his friends spray-painted swastikas and curses on the windows and doors. They also damaged a second mosque.
In some ways, Abraham was the kind of young man you might expect to be involved in actions like that. At age five after witnessing his father scream at and beat his mother, he prayed for God to take his father so his mother would be safe. His father died a month later, after a seizure. Abraham felt responsible. He did poorly in school in elementary school, fighting and cursing until the principal gained his trust and got him on medication for hyperactivity. He excelled but it didn’t last.
In high school, he got into fights, slept in class and dropped out at age eighteen. “Most of my life I’ve been trying to train myself to become something that’s too strong to be broken through,” Abraham explained.
In other ways, Abraham was not at all what you might expect. Despite his short fuse, he had a big heart. Abraham went to high school with Wasim Yasin, a Muslim who was sometimes singled out for derision and taunts. They often ate lunch together in the cafeteria. Abraham told Wasim, “I’m with you, man. If anybody bothers you, just let me know. I’m your friend.” He had nothing against Muslims,
Abraham’s misplaced loyalty preceded his remorse. The young man was arrested, for his crime. In jail and on his own initiative, Abraham wrote a letter of apology to the mosque, copying the address from his court papers. Even when faced with six years in prison he could not explain why he did what he did.
The community of Fort Smith sent many flowers and letters of support to the congregation of Al Salam. People who heard about the vandalism from other parts of the country also expressed their concern and support. Church members called. A congregant from a synagogue called. Buddhists called.
Responding to Abraham’s heartfelt apology, people at the Mosque wrote letters stating their forgiveness to Abraham’s public defender. They asked the prosecutor to go easy on him. Although the mosque submitted paperwork showing it had spent only $500.00 on cleanup, the prosecutors used an estimate from a local restoration company of $1,800, raised the offense from a misdemeanor to a felony according to the law.
Prosecutors decided the young man could avoid a trial only by pleading guilty to a felony and remaining on probation for three years. A single slipup would put him in prison for six years.
Abraham’s family did not have enough money for bail so he had to wait in jail while the legal process went on.
He was spared from prison but terms of his parole included performing community service, paying fines and making restitution. He was obligated to pay $3,200. The young man’s family had their water cut off because they could not pay the bill. The phone was about to be disconnected.
As a high school drop out with a felony on his record who only had computer access at the library, Abraham found it hard to get a job. He made monthly payments at first. He showed up for his community service regularly and on time but he could not find a steady job. He was afraid he would have to serve his prison sentence. People at Al Salaam Mosque decided he was part of their story. They paid his debt.
Abraham now works full time at a gas station mini-mart. He is thankful for the continuing support from the mosque, which, in turn, is thankful for the continuing support from the community around it.
