When A Mosque Was Vandalized, A 7 Year Old Boy Donated His Most Valuable Possession To Help.

#1

The incident was deplorable; the mosque was smeared with feces, and pages of the Quran were ripped to shreds. Jack's mother, Laura, helped him empty the piggy bank and bring the $20 to the Islamic Center of Pflugerville. Mosque board member Faisal Naeem was touched by the boy's donation. He told ABC News:

"Jack's $20 are worth $20 million to us because it's the thought that counts. Jack is just a little older than my son, Ibrahim. If we have more kind-hearted kids like them in the world, I have hope for the future."

#2

Although no physical damage was made to the facility, clean-up costs were estimated to be about $150, a mosque member told police.

Jack's mother, Laura Swanson, told ABC affiliate KVUE that she wanted to support the mosque and show that "what happened in Paris is not what's happening in Pflugerville."

Naeem added that he didn't want to assume the vandalism was motivated by news of the Paris terror attacks until police conclude their investigation. However, he said he was frustrated that such "generalizations" are often applied to the Muslim community after extremist attacks.

#3

"It's become so commonplace where something goes wrong somewhere and people want to blame all Muslims," he said. "If anything, it's a pointing indictment of the logical fallacy in our society's way of thinking."

Nonetheless, Naeem said the mosque remains encouraged by the local community's outpouring of support since the vandalism.

Flowers took the place of ripped and soiled pages and the sidewalk was washed clean by Monday night, he said.

#4

It sounds like Jack's gesture did a lot more than help the mosque pick up the pieces following the vandalism. Kudos to his mom for helping him make a difference. She's a lot more tolerant and wise than parents who freak out when their kids learn about other religions in a historical context like this florida mom did earlier this year.