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ACTION ALERT: Vandals attack mosque in Winnipeg
bhaloo
02/21/01 at 23:51:21
slm Many of us know people in Winnipeg, and something unfortunate happened there. VANDALS ATTACK CANADIAN ISLAMIC CENTER Animal feces smeared on Muslim house of worship (WASHINGTON, DC - 2/21/2000) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Canadian office (CAIR-CAN) is calling on law enforcement officials to investigate vandalism at the Manitoba Islamic Center in Winnipeg as a possible hate crime. (Winnipeg's mayor is scheduled to visit the center at 3:30 p.m. [Central] today.) According to mosque officials, the vandalism occurred Sunday morning between the Muslim break-of-dawn and noon prayers. The vandal or vandals smeared the front of the mosque with animal feces, eggs and white paint. Garbage was also thrown in the area of the mosque. The attack was the second incident of its type in the last few months. In December of last year, eggs were thrown at the mosque. Local law enforcement authorities are investigating Sunday's incident. CAIR-CAN says tensions in the Middle East and recent stereotypical portrayals of Islam in the American and Canadian media point to anti-Muslim bigotry as a possible motive in the attack. In January, the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper apologized publicly for an article titled "Islam Allows for No Other Faith" that claimed the religion of Islam is "false" and that the growth of Islam is an "ominous threat to our western way of life." "This may be another example of anti-Muslim rhetoric turning into the reality of physical attacks," said Nancy Neville, communications director for CAIR-CAN. By way of example, she cited a November 19, 2000, Calgary Sun commentary claiming the "mandate of Islam" is "death to the Jews." Representatives of that same newspaper apologized after an associate editor told Muslim critics "Allah be damned! Mohammed too!" The vandalism in Winnipeg follows a suspicious fire at a British Columbia mosque in November of last year. In that incident, a worshipper at the Surrey Masjid in Surrey, British Columbia, found the center's lobby in flames. When firefighters arrived, the two-story building was fully engulfed in flames. The lobby was gutted and the rest of the building suffered heavy damage. No injuries were reported. Police told the CBC that they are following up witness reports of a van speeding away from the scene just before an explosion was heard. Investigators do not rule out arson. Attacks on mosques and Islamic centers have occurred across North America. Just recently, vandals targeted the Islamic Center of Southern California. In June of last year, a gunman attacked a Memphis, Tenn., Islamic center as worshipers gathered for morning prayers. In May of 1999, a would-be terrorist was arrested after fleeing from the area of a mosque near Denver, Colo. The suspect's car was found to contain loaded weapons and bomb-making materials. As early as 1994, a nearly completed mosque in Yuba City, Calif., burned to the ground in what was ruled an arson attack. In 1995, arson destroyed a Springfield, Ill., Islamic center. And in 1996, a suspect was charged for involvement in an arson attack on a Greenville, S.C., mosque. Acts of mosque vandalism have occurred in Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, and Georgia. In 1999, an arson attack severely damaged a Minneapolis, Minn., mosque. There are an estimated 500,000 Muslims in Canada, some six million Muslims in America and 1.2 billion worldwide. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in this country and around the world.
NS

Re: ACTION ALERT: Vandals attack mosque in Winnipeg
Arsalan
02/21/01 at 23:59:34
[slm] I think this just highlights the importance of security for the masaajid in N. America.  How many Masaajid actually have a security system in place?  How many of them have video cameras to record any suspicious activity in the parking lot as well as inside the Masjid?   I think this should be a warning for people.  And this is not the first incident of this nature either.

Re: ACTION ALERT: Vandals attack mosque in Winnipeg
Saleema
02/22/01 at 10:44:28
Assalam ualykum, Our mosques does! Houston, texas, Adel road.  :) you have a point there Arsalan, we need to do something about the security of mosques. wassalam
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