GENERAL INFO REPORT
Name of Reporting Team Member
[2137]
Type of Incident
Agitated Attendee
Campus Where Occurred
Carlsbad
Location/Building
[130]
Type
[146]
Incident Date
November 26, 2023
Incident Time
11:45 AM
List Names of Safety Team Members Involved
[134]
Incident Report / Actions Taken by Team Members
At approximately 1145 I got a radio call asking me to come to the main foyer. Upon my arrival, Lindsay Marsolais (on staff) (with Russ listening) told me an attendee, Abraham, had said muslim woman wearing a hijab may have open a Koran and had some Islamic messages playing on her phone during the sermon. She said she was told this had just occurred in the coffee shop and that Abraham had told her. She also said Abraham was agitated by this given his non-Muslim Egyptian upbringing.
I told her this was an older Muslim woman who has attended North Coast several times in the past with her friend. She speaks limited English but attends with a close friend of hers. Lindsay knew the friend and realized who the Muslim woman was. Lindsay then went to speak to the friend, Megan, to confirm this was in fact the same woman. Lindsay confirmed to me this was the case.
After Lindsay spoke to Megan, at approximately 1150, I went to the coffee shop to observe and be seen by Abraham. The Muslim woman and Megan were paying attention to the sermon and to themselves and appeared not to notice me. Abraham noticed me. He also appeared concerned and was watching the woman constantly. Content there was no issue, I stood by the northeast door to the coffee shop. After the sermon Abraham left the building apparently to observe the woman through the window from the outside. When he came back inside he approached me.
Abraham told me that the woman’s phone had made noise and that his wife told him it sounded like the traditional Muslim Call to Prayer. He also said she appeared to be reading something he thought could have been her phone, maybe a Koran, or something else. Abraham also told me that he had spoken to the woman about a year ago. But now she appeared to wear her hijab more conservatively and appeared to be less relaxed. He said he thought none of her family or friends knew she was coming to a Christian church. He was also concerned that given the situation with Hamas in Israel that her new conservative dressing could be an indicator that she was upset by christians and she could potentially be co-opted by a group with bad intentions. He did admit, however, that she could just be uncomfortable in a Christian church or be upset by something else.
Abraham claimed that Muslims in his home country had played Muslim call to prayer, opened korans, and done other things in businesses and organizations to coerce those to change behaviors. He was concerned this woman may be doing something similar here, and added that no other attendees would understand that since they were unlikely to have that cultural background.
The woman and her friend Megan departed immediately after the last song after church.
Abraham had been sitting at a table in the coffee shop with his wife and four other individuals. They left about 5-10 minutes after the church service completed.
I notified Kip. We took no further action.
NCS Team Lead
[144]
Documents Attached
[115]
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