Anti-Islamic Group Protests in Front of Irving Mosque

Members of an anti-Islam group protested outside a mosque in Irving Saturday.

They were armed with guns and appeared in opposition to plans for Syrian refugees to be settled in the United States.

Irving police were also there in large numbers, with SWAT teams on standby.


A group calling itself the Bureau on American Islamic relations, or BAIR, gathered outside the Islamic Center of Irving.

One man who didn't want his name used said, " It's a boiling pot. The kettle…the top on this kettle is on really really tight and it is going to blow."

He also added, "I may look like their version of a racist but I'm not. I'm not even a racist here. I just don't want them to push their beliefs down my throat."

A passerby named Anthony Bond stopped to shake hands with the demonstrators but believes the group's frustration toward the mosque is unwarranted.

Bond said, "They've been my friends and they've been an asset to Irving. They pose no threat."

The protest went off without incident.