Calls Mount for Hate Crime Investigation After Incidents at Minneapolis Mosque
Calls Mount for Hate Crime Investigation After Incidents at Minneapolis Mosque
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Muslim community leaders in Minneapolis are demanding a full investigation into whether a break-in and fire at the Alhikmah Islamic Center are connected and should be treated as a hate crime, according to the International Quran News Agency (IQNA).
The calls for action follow two incidents at the south Minneapolis mosque, which also houses a daycare facility, occurring within a week.
On September 29, the mosque was the site of a basement fire, which the Minneapolis Fire Department initially classified as accidental. However, mosque leaders disputed this finding. Then, on Tuesday morning, the mosque experienced a break-in where security footage reportedly showed a woman, believed to be the same suspect, smashing a side door window.
Mosque Imam Abdirizak Kaynan stated that a worshipper confronted the woman inside the building, and she made several threats about setting the mosque on fire. Police arrived shortly after the woman was forced outside and took her into custody on suspicion of property damage.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota) is urging law enforcement to treat the case seriously, stating that the incident confirms community fears of targeted hostility and Islamophobia. Investigators are now reviewing whether the arrested woman was involved in both the break-in and the earlier fire.
