20 good things that happened in 2017

14. A Texas mosque was rebuilt

With rampant evidence of xenophobia and anti-Islamic sentiment throughout America, it can be easy to think that communities throughout the United States have become viciously opposed to their Muslim members. While Muslim people still experience serious discrimination and even violence, however, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, people of all faiths and beliefs can come together to help their neighbors.

Such a case happened in Victoria, Texas, a relatively large city in the southern end of the state. At the beginning of the year, the Victoria Islamic Center was hit by a large fire. This turned out to be not faulty electric wiring or a kitchen accident, though.

Instead, it was the fault of a suspected arsonist, who has since been charged with a hate crime. The building was ruined, though thankfully no one was injured in the blaze.

The story doesn’t end there, however. Four months later, construction workers were breaking ground on a new mosque on the first day of Ramadan. That’s good enough on its own, but the new building hasn’t come out of just anywhere. Instead, it’s being built thanks to the donations of people throughout the country, and to support from other members of the Victoria, Texas community.

Funders from around the world donated over $1 million to rebuild the center, which will include some pieces of the previous building. “It’s extremely humbling and not only in that it restores our faith in humanity,” said center member Omar Rachid, “it restores our faith in really what the true American spirit is.”