RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper says he met with North Carolina Palestinians and Muslims last week about the deadly fighting in the Gaza Strip. 

Although that reality is thousands of miles away, it can impact how people of faith gather peacefully and safely worship in America. It’s why the director of community outreach for the Islamic Association of Raleigh said maintaining security measures is always at a premium. 

“We rely heavily on law enforcement and those who have a security background to help educate us on the methodologies and activities that we should be doing in order to provide a safe space for our community,” Ali Zelmat said.

Zelmat said they have a long history of working with local law enforcement to protect their members.

“I think it has meant we have been able to rely on those past relationships in order to analyze our own security,” Zelmat said.

No matter your faith, Zelmat said the American worship experience continues to evolve year to year, particularly in the months since Oct. 7, when a Hamas incursion into southern Israel from Gaza killed about 1,200.

“I think it has changed dramatically and I think we now have an awareness that these things can happen and we have a responsibility to be proactive,” Zelmat said.

Zelmat believes it is not only about the freedom to practice their faith, but to do so without the threat of violence.

“Incidents that are clearly based in hate and misunderstanding have happened to religious communities and certainly increased since Oct. 7,” Zelmat said.

Watchdogs and advocacy groups agree.

Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7, the Anti-Defamation League tracked almost 3,300 antisemitic incidents across the country. The ADL, a prominent advocate for Jewish voices and defender of crimes against Jewish-Americans, reported a 361% increase in these incidents compared with the same time frame a year earlier.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (known as CAIR), a nonprofit organization promoting understanding of the religion and those who practice it, reported nearly 2,200 complaints of Islamophobic incidents Oct. 7-Dec. 2.

Zelmat doesn’t want to see those statistics play out in the Raleigh mosque.

“I would say the primary goal of the outreach team is education," Zelmat said. "I think that’s one of the biggest ways we combat some of these complications."

Combating complications in the present requires a budget.

For the 2023-24 fiscal year, the IAR expects to spend nearly $216,500 on security.

Zelmat confirmed the money often is used to pay off-duty Raleigh police officers.

The IAR received a $298,000 nonprofit security grant from FEMA recently. Funds like this can help the center to provide top-notch security for its congregation. Zelmat said the mosque never wants members to worry about safety, especially when they come for Friday prayers.

“But if you ask me as a person of faith when I walk into the center or walk into a mosque anywhere, is that at the top of my mind? Am I going to be hurt today when I come in here? Is someone going to come in and attack me? That’s not really at the top of our mind I think as individual members of the faith,” Zelmat said.

The property is host to two schools—the security for the schools is as big a focus as is the safety of the larger community. It's a seven-day-a-week community center. Zelmat estimated more than 3,000 people can come for Friday prayers. 

The state Department of Public Safety shared a statement about efforts to work with local law enforcement agencies to curb any potential risks:

"The NC Department of Public Safety’s number one priority is and will remain public safety. After the events that occurred overseas on October 7, 2023, DPS Secretary Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr. directed law enforcement entities within the Department of Public Safety to perform routine safety checks at houses of worship across the state and to partner with local law enforcement agencies to better protect them. The Governor and Secretary also convened a meeting open to leaders of all faiths to hear from the Department as well as the SBI and US Attorneys offices about resources that are available. The intent is to ensure public safety for everyone in all of our communities. We will continue working at the highest level of vigilance to help secure the safety of all North Carolinians."