The shockwaves from the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya are being felt close to home. A professor and a graduate student took time to talk to us about it.
While it seems that an obscure anti-Islam film may have sparked the protests, it may also just have been the right opportunity for such an attack. The Pentagon is looking into the possibility of a coordinated terrorist attack.
The film is called "Innocence of Muslims." The Israeli-American who produced it says it was made to point out the hypocrisies of Islam, but Engineering Professor Sami Fadali at the University of Nevada says it was enough to spark the violence.
"For sure," he said. "We take all of this very seriously! What we consider sacred was insulted and people who produce such things are irresponsible because we have soldiers in Afghanistan and they are putting those soldiers in danger. They are acting irresponsible to get attention."
Ahmad Saad is a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is also from Egypt. He said education is the answer.
"Christian and Muslim leaders need to educate their people how to react to something like this," he said. Climbing the walls and taking down the flag are not the answer. They need to educate people to stand up for their religion without violence."
Both Saad and Fadali try to visit home once a year and say that while things look violent in the Middle East, they both feel other places like Mexico and Colombia are far worse.
Written by Erin Breen
