Police respond to the bombing of a Jackonsville mosque.
A white male in his forties allegedly used some sort of incendiary device to set a Jacksonville mosque on fire during prayer time. Worshipers chased the criminal (terrorist?) away, and thankfully nobody was hurt, but the mosque sustained fire damage. First Coast News is reporting:
Possible Hate Crime Under Investigation after Fire at Islamic Center of NE Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A fire at a mosque on the Southside is under investigation as a possible hate crime.
Worshipers at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida heard a loud noise outside the mosque shortly before evening prayers Monday night.
Witnesses went outside and found some type of incendiary device had started a fire. The fire was put out with a fire extinguisher. No one was hurt.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the fire marshal, ATF and FBI representatives responded to the incident, which is being looked at as a possible hate crime.
“A possible bias-motivated attack on a house of worship should be of great concern to Americans of all faiths, and particularly to our nation’s religions and political leaders,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “Those who shape public opinion must begin to speak out against the rising level of anti-Muslim sentiment in our society.”
CAIR says a man in his 40s entered the Islamic Center on April 4, and shouted, “Stop this blaspheming!” The man said he’d be back as people chased him away.
Can you imagine the national hysteria if a Muslim had bombed a synagogue or church? Meanwhile, this story will barely be mentioned. No wonder so many people think that all terrorists are Muslims. Will the Muslim worshipers who bravely chased the man away be honored in any way? Can one imagine the honors heaped on Jewish or Christian parishioners had they chased away a Muslim who had done such a thing?
May 11th, 2010 at 4:21 am
True no western media will give importance to this and will indeed ignore this type of crimes.
May 11th, 2010 at 8:11 am
Man this is unfortunate.
May 11th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Right. When the media only reports terrorism that is committed by Muslims, of course people will think all terrorists are Muslims. That’s the perception because Muslim violence is disproportionately covered. It’s pretty absurd that right wingers think the media is soft on Islam. What the hell are they watching?
May 11th, 2010 at 10:25 am
My Mosque was the victim of arson after 9/11, and it got barely any attention in the media.
There hasn’t been any great or large scale act of violence against Muslims, yet, thank God. But there are a lot of wackos out there who want to do it and some of them have the will to do it.
I can foresee a real terrible attack on Muslims in this country, either by a lone wolf or a militia group.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Explosion at Islamic Center of NE Florida05/11/10 GMJ Report
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?aid=178314#/News/Explosion+at+Islamic+Center+of+NE+Florida/50619441001/50624658001/84563562001
May 11th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Explosion at Local Mosque
http://www.news4jax.com/video/23515310/index.html
May 11th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Islamic Center of Northeast Florida (ICNEF) website:
http://icnef.org/
May 11th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Thats too bad, he must have been muslim trained in bomb making. Maybe next time.
May 11th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Here is a link to security camera footage of the perp.
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-05-11/story/possible-hate-crime-probed-islamic-center-northeast-florida
May 11th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
@Good news finally
Get a life dude.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
@Good news finally
I’m a bit disappointed as well. It would have been great to hear of several innocent people being mercilessly blown to pieces. I mean, it’s only fair, since Muslims bomb synagogues and churches everyday…
Oh, wait.
May 11th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Are you guys kidding me? Yes, it’s unfortunate, but since 9/11 not one Muslim has been attacked in America. And yet, all over the totalitarian, dictatorial, theocratic Muslim world, Christians are being persecuted and murdered, churches are being attacked, … but the msm never carries these stories!!! Can a Christian church even exist in most Muslim countries? NO. These people are here to cause mayhem. How many attacks by Muslims do we have to be exposed to before you all see this evil ideology for what it is? I’m glad no one was injured, but these people need to go. What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you not know of all the Muslim guerilla training camps now in our country? They talk about CAIR in this article. CAIR is a proven terrorist organization and the msm gives them credibility? America educate yourselves on the religio-political ideology that is Shitlam. It is the anti-thesis of democracy, freedom and justice, much less the right to pursue happiness. They are here to wreck all the havoc they can and destroy us. Don’t be a part of it. I do not condone violence against them, but I do condone deportation now! Oh, and it’s a typical tactic for them to attack their own and then cry hate crime. And I guarantee you, it will be all over the media tomorrow. They are good at portraying themselves as victims.
May 12th, 2010 at 12:37 am
WTF:
As the RAND report says (which is financed by the U.S. govt), the main reason why there haven’t been any killing of Muslim Americans is because no Muslim terrorists have killed any U.S. civilians since 9/11. In other words, the threat of homegrown jihadism is overblown, and the jihadist campaign has failed to launch a sustained campaign. If the jihadists were successful,says RAND, the chances of more violent backlash against Muslim Americans would have been far greater, and we probably would not be seeing the same restrained reaction. See the RAND report here:
http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/05/rand-report-threat-of-jihadist-terrorism-exaggerated/
Nonetheless, the restraint seen in the U.S. is laudable and is due to the rule of law which prevails here. That’s why I love being American; our government and system of laws restrains hate-mongers like you from harming people you hate. You support deportation of Muslims, not killing. How benevolent of you. That is truly a Hitler-esque idea, and I say that without violating Godwin’s Law at all. It was Hitler after all who argued for the expulsion of Jews from Europe.
As for your claim about the Muslim majority world, it is a sweeping generalization. And as our next article will show (which I’ll post in 30 minutes), Hindu fundamentalists in India have torched hundreds of churches and forcibly converted hundreds (if not thousands) of Christians to Hinduism. This is all going on now as we speak. Of course, no mention in the mainstream media of this. It’s pretty funny though how you argue that the MSM doesn’t cover “Muslim crimes”, when in fact the opposite is true.
Anyways, you are a loon and it is not really worth refuting you, as you expose your own self by arguing for the deportation of millions of Muslim Americans.
Sincerely,
Danios.
May 12th, 2010 at 2:06 am
You know, WTF, there’s a term for a man who wants to drive out law-abiding American citizens who have beliefs different from his own: “traitor.”
May 12th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Oh and btw, As an 8th-generation American whose family has fought and died in every war this country has ever had, and whose women ancestors had to fight to be considered equal, and are still not, I find a religion that would deny women basic human rights, very offensive. VERY OFFENSIVE. Why are they allowed to offend our sensibilities, but when Hillary goes to one of their shithole dictatorships, she is FORCED to cover her head? This is what you defend here?
May 12th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
@ WTF:
interesting family history. I don’t care though about how American you are or how patriotic you are. Like it or not, ur “Americanism” doesn’t give you special attention. Also, I tried looking for whatever made u say Hilary was forced to cover her hair. Oddly enough, I found a feminist article that didn’t even say she was forced, that she did it out of respect. Also, who says Islam denies basic human rights to women? What If u were ranting on the street about how oppressed Muslim women are, and suddenly a woman in a hijab goes to u and says “excuse me sir (or madam), but I don’t feel oppressed.” what then?
May 12th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Thanks, Imad.
Yes, Hillary Clinton wasn’t forced. In fact, she and other “ambassadors” often wear the traditional dress of the country they are flying out to, as a sign of respect and diplomacy, i.e. to soften their hearts.
Secondly, aside from the varying interpretations of Islam that WTF discounts, he ought to read the Bible and see what feminist critics say of it!
May 12th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Okay, so much for free speech in America! You guys should feel real proud.
May 12th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
If fact, I seriously doubt Americans are running this site!
May 12th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
And something I don’t understand. Why can veiled women wear makeup, but that doesn’t make them immodest? I’ve never understood that. I see women in veils made up to the hilt, especially with eye liner? Seems really strange that you can’t show your hair, but you can wear makeup?
May 12th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
And something I don’t understand is why orthodox Jewish women shave their heads out of modesty and then wear wigs that look exactly the same as the hair they shaved off?
You can ask such questions for many beliefs of many different religions.
As far as *both* the face veil and makeup are concerned, the views of Muslims differ widely on both. The “ultra-orthodox” view would be for women to wear the face veil and prohibit makeup, so your question is really misplaced. Anyways, the vast majority of Muslims don’t think the face veil is obligatory.
But really, it’s amazing how you are talking about the face veil and womens’ rights in an article that talks about a mosque being attacked. The relevance only an Islamophobe like yourself can figure out!
May 12th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
WTF: You got us! In fact, the site is run by Usama bin Ladin and his accomplice, Barack Hussein Obama, from the caves of Afghanistan. The site is funded by George Soros, and we’re just leftist dhimmis and our readers are stealth jihadists.
May 12th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
@ WTF:
So, you doubt Americans are running this site? Are they supposed to feel insulted? You idiot, don’t give yourself or America that monopoly on morality status. If you do, you’re just f**king yourself.
May 12th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
This for the poster by name OF “WTF” who said: Can a Christian church even exist in most Muslim countries? yeah i think you are so ignorant dude and you don’t know shit because in Dubai there is two catholic churches and three christian churches, even in Saudi Arabia it exist a christian church located in ‘Aramco campus” in Al dharan city,in Lebanon over 45 christian churches, in Syria over 25,in Egypt over 40, in India ,in Tunisia,in Palestine ect…..what the hell you are talking about ???????
May 12th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
@WTF
It’s hilarious how obsessed “WTF” is with the veil. Islamophobes are so obsessed with Muslim women and every detail of their life. He’s asking about Muslim makeup for crying out loud. ROFL!
May 12th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Anyone who uses ‘wtf’ as a name clearly is that: what the f***. Another proud gung-ho American.
May 12th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
(WTF) I just came back from Egypt. Been working as an expatriate there now for 3 yrs for Cisco. There appears to be churches all over, especially in old Cairo area/downtown and a massive one in Aswan that’s pretty exquisite. Dubai has churches too. Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon have churches all over and Egypt even had two synagogues located in their downtown area, and 3 in Alexandria. What countries are you referring to exactly??
May 12th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Elaborate architecture which seems peculiar to Egypt’s Coptic church
http://www.egyptmyway.com/photo/holy_family4_2.html
Visited this church a dozen times while vacationing with friends to Aswan who visited me while I was working there.
May 13th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Not 100% sure, but don’t women cover their hair when they visit the Vatican or holy sites in Palestine/Israel? And if so would Catholicism or the pope or the rabbi’s in Israel be considered oppressive of women?
May 13th, 2010 at 8:03 am
On that note can someone tell me why nuns do not stand up for hijabis? I mean seriously there are all these Islamophobes bashing head coverings and they don’t mention a single thing about nuns.
May 13th, 2010 at 9:00 am
@Richard
Islamophobes take Saudi Arabia to be the only example of a Muslim country. All Islam can be judged from SA. Don’t forget Palestine which has some of the oldest churches in the world. The oldest Christian communities in the world are in Arab countries yet Islamophobes think Islam destroyed all non-Muslim religions.
May 13th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Islamophobes and anti-Muslims tergiverse and disregard the truth because the truth does not serve them. Woe to all freedom-loving people if such contemporary fascists and bigots should ever gain power. The whole world could see what happened where they did – in Bosnia and in Kosovo: Genocide. In Kosovo this was then stop-punched, not muffed like in Bosnia. The idea to deport people from the USA just for the reason of their being Muslims is no better, this too is genocide (forcible removal of a population is genocide!), it really smacks of Hitler. It is un-American. Whoever holds such ideas is really a Nazi. And to wtf I say “So nicht, Herr Hitler!” (Not like that Mr. Hitler!) Next this unprintable fellow will say that Karadzic and Mladic did indeed fight a “just and holy” war in Bosnia! Come to any town in Bosnia that’s under control of the (Muslim) Bosniaks and you find the Catholic and Orthodox churches never received even a scratch. In Sarajevo both synagogues didn’t receive a scratch! But then go to any Serb-controlled town and all mosques (and most Catholic churches) were razed to the ground! By peopl ewho call themselves good Christians! All right, some are being slowly rebuilt but only grudgingly and just so the enemies of Muslims can raze them again when the mood strikes them. In one place which had had 1400 Muslim families and 50 Serb families before the war, the Serb crusaders razed the mosque to the ground, built a church in its place, and only after much litigation and after the Muslims were forced to pay for the relocation of the church to another place could the mosque be rebuilt (that is, if they have let them finish yet.) You will understand that I can’t feel any sympathy whatsoever for people who did this.
Strangely, at another place Serbs and Bosniaks stuck together and allowed no thugs from the outside to touch any of the residents. So much for “eternal enmity” between Christians and Muslims and “Centuries-old ethnic hate” or other such crap.
May 13th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Some people came to the USA from Bosnia or from Palestine in the hope not only to make a new life for themselves but to escape such acts and persecution, and now they see that it happens to them all over again.
May 13th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
That’s absolutely true Les as well as synagogues which have been well kept for centuries.
May 16th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Assalamu Aleikum,
It’s extremely sad and heart breaking that such hate crimes are going on and not being noticed…(wait of course only if its caused by a “Muslim”)
May Allah protect us from all this evilness.
Btw,
I’m a revert to Islam, yet I’m not an Arab but of Latina descent. I clarify to all non-Muslims, that I do not feel oppressed, nor do I feel obligated to wear my veil. I feel wonderful and as modest as I’ve ever felt in the past. I have and will continue to walk with my head up high because my love and faith for Allah(swt) is overall!!!
August 30th, 2010 at 11:28 am
The original Great Mosque of Cordoba was built in the 10th century in Cordoba, Spain, the capital of the Muslim caliphate of al Andalus, ruling over the conquered Spaniards. It was and remains to this day a Muslim tradition to build mosques on the ruins of cities and peoples they have conquered. Is it coincidence then they want to name the new “cultural center” The Cordoba House?