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Islamic Center of Omaha hosts event for law enforcement

Posted at 7:18 PM, Oct 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-21 20:18:55-04

Members of the Omaha area law enforcement and Islamic communities broke bread Saturday afternoon at an event to help foster relationships.

The Islamic Center of Omaha hosted the luncheon. Members of the Omaha Police Department, Department of Justice, ACLU and FBI attended the event.

Angela Reza says its helpful to the Muslim community when they get to know local authorities.

"We all sat at the same table and shared our life stories," Reza said.

The center has been hosting community events for a few years. Members say hate crimes like vandalism two years ago have actually brought out a wonderful and encouraging response from the Omaha community as a whole.

Craig Schnackenberg, a supervisor of the Omaha FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, says relationships help keep everyone safe.

"Doing this kind of outreach and meeting with the public is one of the most important things we can do," he said. "Nobody wants to be discriminated against for any reason. Certainly folks are here just because of the clothes they wear or their religious beliefs. That's one of the things we do here at the FBI is to protect all people."

The Center says it will continue to host events for law enforcement and the public.

"I think we had a wonderful turnout," Reza said. "I think a lot of officers showed up. I think everybody was happy. Everybody was welcoming."