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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Illinois mosque attacked as muslims pray inside |
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| jannah |
| 03/12/03 at 16:21:48 |
| Someone that I was talking to the other night said America has turned into the 4th reich police state. Not only are we attacked officially but also through hate. I think we should prepare,for times just like the time after 9/11 but I think it will be much worse. ILLINOIS MOSQUE ATTACKED AS MUSLIMS PRAY INSIDE CAIR calls for FBI investigation, increased police protection (WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/12/2003) - CAIR today called for an FBI investigation of an attack last night on a Chicago-area mosque that occurred while more than 100 Muslims prayed inside. Police investigators, witnesses and mosque officials told CAIR that worshipers heard two loud bangs just after the evening prayer at the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park, Ill., one of the largest mosques and Islamic schools in America. (SEE: http://www.islamicfoundation.org/) Witnesses say they found a window of the prayer area damaged by two projectiles that they took to be bullets. Islamic Foundation Director Abdul Hameed Dogar called the attack "a deliberate attempt to kill worshipers" because those praying were clearly visible to the attackers through the large windows of the mosque. Villa Park Police Detective John Szkolka told CAIR he does not know what kind of projectiles hit the mosque window and is following "some leads" in the case. Szkolka said the attack was "almost certainly" bias-related. This was not the first such attack on the mosque. In 1999, vandals threw a chunk of concrete through a glass door and broke a window. Other incidents of vandalism occurred while the mosque was under construction. Following the 9/11 terror attacks, the mosque received a number of threats. "We are thankful that no one was hurt in last night's attack. This incident is just the latest in a series of assaults on and threats against American Muslims in recent weeks. We believe the increase in Islamophobic hate crimes is directly related to the drumbeat of pro-war and anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society. Local law enforcement agencies should offer increased protection for Muslim communities and their institutions during this time of crisis," said Omar Haydar, executive director of CAIR's Chicago office (CAIR-Chicago). Haydar noted that just this week, death threats were made against Muslim students at San Jose State University in California. The threats were just one of several anti-Muslim incidents across the country reported to CAIR within the past month. Physical assaults against Muslims have been reported in Northern California, Southern California, Georgia, New Jersey, and South Carolina. One incident in Yorba Linda, Calif., left a Muslim teenager badly beaten by a group that allegedly included white supremacists. CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 16 regional offices nationwide and in Canada. Since its founding in 1994, CAIR has defended the civil and religious rights of all Americans. ACTION REQUESTED: Take steps to increase security of your local mosque, Islamic center or school. Areas of Vulnerability: * Mosques located in isolated areas. * Mosques left unattended for extended periods of time. * Mosques with unsecured doors and/or windows. * Absence of a burglar alarm system. * Heavy exterior vegetation (shrubs, etc.) in which criminals may hide. * Absence of exterior lighting. CAIR MOSQUE SECURITY CHECKLIST CAIR is asking that mosques consider taking the following safety measures: * Build good relationships with neighbors of the mosque. Invite them to visit your center. * Try to have people attend the mosque as much as possible. Activity deters perpetrators. * Make an appointment with the community relations officer of your local police department to tour your center and make suggestions on improving mosque security. * Request additional police patrols in the vicinity of your center. Special attention should be paid to times of darkness and during prayers. * Consider creating a security committee at your mosque. * Post mosque members at entrances and parking areas during prayer times. * Report suspicious packages to police. Do not touch them. * Install perimeter floodlights outside the mosque. * Install fire and burglar alarm systems. * Replace hollow core doors with more secure solid doors. * Install burglarproof bars on screens and large vents. (Note - Research local ordinances before beginning security renovations. For example, window bars should not limit evacuation in case of fire.) * Trim shrubs and vines to reduce areas of concealment. * Participate in neighborhood watch programs. * Document descriptions of suspicious people or vehicles. * Make duplicates of all important papers, computer disks and records. * Remove potential fire hazards, such as trash and debris. * Consider installing security cameras. |
| Re: Illinois mosque attacked as muslims pray insid |
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| bhaloo |
| 03/13/03 at 01:29:25 |
| [slm] [quote author=jannah link=board=ummah;num=1047504110;start=0#0 date=03/12/03 at 16:21:48]Someone that I was talking to the other night said America has turned into the 4th reich police state. Not only are we attacked officially but also through hate. I think we should prepare,for times just like the time after 9/11 but I think it will be much worse.[/quote] don't you mean the 3rd reich, the one that would last for 1,000 years. it certainly seems like we are living in those times, and i think things will get worse as the government turns more into a police state. |
| Re: Illinois mosque attacked as muslims pray insid |
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| BroHanif |
| 03/13/03 at 17:50:42 |
| Salaams I seriously suggest that everyone set up some sort of security committe for the mosque and a protection facility for our sisters and the very elderly. Insha-Allah me and a couple of brothers are going to start this for our mosque and aid those families who feel scared in going to town to help them with teir shopping. May Allah protect us all whichever land we may be. Salaams Hanif |
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