“I was thinking, ‘That poor man.’ Can you imagine living your life in fear and anger? Can you imagine wanting to do something that you had to hurt somebody?” Sampson told KVAL 13.
“I don’t know the Islamic faith well, but I do know that Muslims are our brothers and sisters and I would encourage everyone to just take a hard look at how supportive are you of all God’s children,” he continued.
Sampson said he hopes his violent experience serves as a wake up call for people to be peaceful with others no matter their religion.
He also commented that the country is trying to find its tone and that Muslims are just like everyone else. “There are some politicians who have people riled up as they seek to build their power base,” he told Hood River News. “They are not seeing everyone as a part of the human family.”
Police said they are still investigating the possible hate crime and have no leads on the attacker as of yet.
