Two gunmen opened fire on Sunday at an art exhibit in Garland, Texas, that was organised by an anti-Islamic group and featured caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad and were themselves shot dead at the scene by police officers, city officials and police said.
The exhibit in Garland was organised by Pamela Geller, president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI). Her organization, which is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, has sponsored anti-Islamic advertising campaigns in transit systems across the country.
Dr. Bilal Rana, President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association condemned the shooting saying that:
“On behalf of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association – the largest Muslim youth group in the country – we stand by our fellow Americans in shock and horror at today’s shooting. While we wait for investigators to tell us more about the shooters, we wholly condemn any such acts of violence and find them completely unjustifiable. Our faith calls us to engage in dialogue. So we condemn any use of violence to intimidate anyone.”