He planned to blow up a mosque, but found salvation there instead

To say that Mac McKinney used to be Islamophobic would be an understatement.

Until about 16 years ago, US military veterans believed that Muslims were inherently evil, and that they should do everything in their power to protect their spouses and children from the ravages of American society.

“It was hatred that found a home inside of me, and it actually became so powerful that I often described it as another organ in my body,” McKinney said. As it happens hosted by Nil Köksal. “I thought it was staying alive, to be honest.”

Powered by that hatred, McKinney concocted a plan to build an improvised explosive device and blow up a mosque in his hometown of Muncie, Ind.

The goal, he said, was to kill at least 200 people.

But in the first eight months of working at the Islamic Center of Muncie, he not only abandoned the plan, but also joined the mosque, was converted to Islam and found what he had been searching for deeply – the community.

That trip is now the topic Strangers at the Gatewhich is nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at this year’s Academy Awards.

The leader of the mosque saw something in him

When Bibi Bahrami, the mosque’s founder, first saw McKinney, she admits she found him “a little scary.”

He was, after all, a stranger—a striking man with tattooed shoulders and arms who had just appeared at the Islamic Center.

“But in the meantime, I see vulnerability in him,” Köksal said. “It’s like he can look for anything.”

McKinney introduced himself as someone who just wanted to learn a little more about Islam. But in reality, they have more sinister motives.

“I’m looking for facts,” he said. “I’m looking for proof that this is a bad guy.”

Despite any reservations about McKinney, Bahrami and other devotees welcomed him with open arms. Bahrami’s husband hugged him. Another member gave him a Quran and told him to come back when he had questions.

“I’m confused,” McKinney said. “This is not Islam as I know it.”

Finding meaning after 9/11

After a month, McKinney returned to the mosque again.

He began to develop close relationships with members – especially Bahrami, who went out of his way to give him special attention and involve him in the community.

She said she saw something familiar to her – what she saw on the face of an ex-military man who was a patient at her husband’s family doctor’s clinic.

“Some people suffer from hardships and some diseases, that [is] very, very common,” she said. “And I can see that a little bit in him.”

WATCH | Trailer for Strangers at the Gate:

When someone needed help, Bahrami stepped up. It’s always been her way.

“Because of my experience and upbringing, I was blessed with … a father [who] always welcome people. There are no strangers in the house. We have houses for the homeless,” he said.

It was a mantra he continued to live after he fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and made his new home in the US in 1986.

But it is not always easy to maintain a friendly attitude, especially after the rise of Islamophobia after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

“We chose to live in this beautiful country by choice. And we are blessed to be welcomed here,” he said. “To hear that kind of statement after 9/11, it was a difficult time for all of us.”

But instead of backing down, Bahrami decided to put himself out there.

He began speaking at community events, showing people another side of Islam. He connects with leaders from various churches and religions.

He remembers going to a class on peace and conflict, and watching a video about the Iraq war. Two of his friends admit that their parents hate Muslims now.

“I told the two students, I am happy that your parents are accepted in my house [because] I don’t want him to live with this hate,” he said.

‘What they say at the dinner table’

Bahrami’s instincts about McKinney are spot on. His time as a U.S. marine in Iraq changed him, he said.

“The things I do [in the military]You know, there’s no other way to describe it except that they’re bad,” he said. And that’s really hard for me to admit, because it’s a disease.

When he was medically discharged in 2006, he began to open up.

“I’m very upset with the government, with the military, because they don’t need me anymore. And I decided that I will take everything that comes out in the Muslims.”

As McKinney spent more time in the mosque, his views on Islam changed. Instead of destroying the Islamic Center, they participated.

When his de-radicalization unfolds, the police discover his original plan and search his home.

By then, McKinney had dismantled the homemade bomb, and authorities decided he was no longer a threat. But word spread quickly, and McKinney’s mosque friends were worried.

“Some members told me that they did not feel comfortable coming to the center,” Bahrami said. “Even if he converts to Islam, there is great concern.”

But instead of kicking McKinney out, he brought her closer — inviting her home for dinner.

“I started the conversation and I asked straight away. I said, ‘Is this true, what am I hearing?’ And that time he was honest and sincere about it,'” Bahrami said.

“He told me … how we welcomed him into our home, and how our respect and kindness had touched his heart.

McKinney is still an active member of the mosque today. And has dedicated his life to fighting the kind of hatred that once held a strong hold for him. She went to school to study social work and conflict resolution. Now he travels the country to talk about his experiences.

“I call it an anti-ism campaign,” he said. “If there’s an ‘ism’ behind it, it’s bad. It’s definitely something that needs to change.”

‘The power of kindness and compassion’

Strangers at the Gate as an extension of a long-standing series of documents, The Secret Life of Muslimsfrom director Joshua Seftel.

Growing up Jewish, Seftel said he was no stranger to bigotry. As a child, other children would throw stones and money at him and call him antisemantic slurs.

“After I became a filmmaker and after 9/11, I saw a lot of hatred towards my fellow Muslims,” ​​he said. “I was like, oh, as a filmmaker, maybe there’s some small way I can help with the story.”

When he read about what happened in Muncie, he said he was shocked by Bahrami’s bravery.

“He knew that this man wanted to do him harm and that he hated him. And his reaction was: ‘Well, I’ll take him to dinner,'” he said.

He added the same warmth that Seftel and his crew had during filming, he said. During screenings for the doc, she would bring homemade cookies to the audience.

“Even if there were 200 people there, she would make cookies for them and distribute them. And this is not a gimmick. This is, like, who he is,” he said.

“It really captures the spirit of this story and what it’s about, which is trying to connect with people, with other human beings, and the power of kindness and compassion. And it can save lives.”

McKinney said a lot of people have been praising her since the documentary came out. But as far as he is concerned, Bahrami is the hero of the story.

“Some of the responses I get are, ‘There should be more Macs in the world.’ And I laughed about it,” he said. “It doesn’t need more me, it needs more Bibis.”

Strangers at the Gate executive produced by activist and author Malala Yousafzai. You can stream it online for free here.