Salt Lake City officials met with Bosnian immigrants Thursday to assure them they are a valued part of the community.
    The officials also condemned the "hateful" e-mails and phone calls from people who want to link the Trolley Square shootings to the killer's Muslim faith.
    Mayor Rocky Anderson said there is no evidence that religion or political views sparked the attack by Sulejman Talovic, an 18-year-old who died in a gunbattle with police after he killed five people.
    Speaking at Bosna Restaurant in South Salt Lake, the mayor encouraged everyone to reach out a helping hand and learn more about their neighbors.
    "This is a time when we can learn more about the challenges facing these families, especially refugee families," Anderson said.
    A few dozen Bosnians and a greater number of journalists packed the small restaurant. Also present were Police Chief Chris Burbank and Bisera Turkovic, Bosnia's ambassador to the United States.
    "People are shocked and people are saddened," Turkovic said. "We owe this country much. To do this to people who helped us, it's really shocking."
    Turkovic, who is based in Washington, D.C., said she believes Talovic was mentally ill and his actions should not reflect on other Bosnians. She also expressed her condolences and thanked law enforcement officers for how they handled the situation.
    Bosnian immigrants at the restaurant said they had not received any direct threats but had heard comments blaming their entire community for the acts of one man.
    They also expressed grief for the shooting victims.
    "I'm Bosnian but I'm American, too, and I don't like what happened," said Sinan Rahislic, a naturalized U.S. citizen who has lived in Utah for 12 years.
    Mladen Maric, who was born in Bosnia and has lived in Utah since 1973, attributed angry comments to shock and grief, but said the reaction is just temporary.
    Utah residents keep in mind the suffering of the state's early pioneers and can empathize with the struggles of immigrants, he said.
    "The Bosnian community [members] that came to Salt Lake City are quite lucky because of the history of tolerance," Maric said.
    pmanson@sltrib.com