‘A woman is on fire’: Witnesses to Boulder terror attack, faith leaders condemn hate
Mackenzie Stafford
BOULDER, Colo. (KRDO) — On Wednesday, witnesses from the Boulder terror attack and many religious leaders came together to denounce hate in any shape or form. The group stood united in the same spot along Pearl Street where the Sunday attack took place.
The group was all speaking out against the alleged actions of Mohammad Soliman, who lived in El Paso County.
On Wednesday, a letter could be seen posted to the front door of the Soliman residence. It’s an eviction warning from the landlord looking to collect rent, however, no one is home to pay it. While the Soliman family is in ICE custody, on Wednesday, a judge issued an order blocking the deportation of Mohammed Soliman’s family.
The new message comes as leaders from a multitude of different faiths stood together to share their message of love overcoming hate.
A crowd filled the space outside of the Boulder County courthouse to hear from Jewish, Islamic, and Catholic leaders.
“The whole Jewish community is reeling, shocked that this hideous hate crime could happen right here in downtown beautiful Boulder. And yet, we have seen this coming, and Jews here and all over America and the world have not been feeling safe, physically or emotionally, in the face of demonizing hate speech and dangerous rhetoric. We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our neighbors and friends, faith leaders from across the county, state and the world. Demonization of others has to stop. The hate speech has to stop,” said Rabbi Marc Soloway.
Some shared that an attack on one religion and the ability to share your beliefs freely is an attack on all religions.
“A threat to one faith community is a threat to all. The values, the values that we and I love so dearly, of pluralism and freedom and democracy. We cannot have those threats. And though we differ in faith and practice, we can be united in our care and attention for each other and for those in need,” stated Reverend Mary Kate Réjoius, St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church.
Others explained how being neighborly is a common thread in all religions, a pillar needed in the community in the wake of the attack.
“We stand firm on our Islamic shared values of neighborliness, which are American values. We stand firm on that with our neighbors, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, at all times and especially at times like this,” said Imam Nader Elmarhoumi, Islamic Center of Boulder.
Ed Victor says the Run for Their Lives awareness group has held these walks since Oct. 7, 2023. Victor spoke about his experience on Sunday.
“Suddenly, right by me, I think I heard a crash, and I felt a lot of heat. And a person is on fire, a woman is on fire. I’m saying this because that’s what happened. That’s what I saw. And I’ll tell you that my focus got extremely narrow at that time. I didn’t notice anything else. I was worried about that woman,” recounted Ed Victor, a participant in the Run for Their Lives awareness group.
Victor continued to explain the distress, trying to extinguish the fire.
“I’ll tell you what. Someone on fire takes too long to put out. Whether it took 1 minute or 2 minutes, I don’t remember. But I know it took too long. What did we have to put them out? You look around, you’re like, there are some flags. We have a banner. You do what you can. It was myself and three other people doing what we could,” explained Victor.
He shared how speaking out against anti-Semitism is so important right now– a message echoed by many of the speakers on Wednesday.
KRDO13 also reached out to the local Islamic Society of Colorado Springs, which shared this statement.
We at the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs are heartbroken by the tragic attack that occurred yesterday in Boulder, Colorado. Acts of hatred and violence have no place in Islam. Our faith teaches us to uphold justice, show compassion, and honor the sanctity of every human life. We stand firmly against all forms of extremism and violence, and we condemn yesterday’s attack in the strongest possible terms.
In times of tragedy, we are called to respond with empathy, kindness, and a shared commitment to peace. We pray for unity and understanding in our society, and we pledge to continue working alongside people of all faiths and backgrounds to build a more compassionate and just world.May Allah (SWT) guide us all to be sources of peace, mercy, and healing in our communities
-The Islamic Society of Colorado Springs.
The suspect, Mohammad Soliman, claimed that his attack was not an attack against Jewish people broadly, but against Zionist supporters of the state of Israel.
Soliman is expected back in Boulder County court Thursday afternoon.