Emergency crews responded to fires at two mosques in south Minneapolis over two consecutive days and authorities are asking for help identifying a man believed to be involved in one of the fires.

According to the Minneapolis Fire Department, the first fire happened Sunday evening at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center inside the 24 Somali Mall at the corner of 24 Street East and Elliot Avenue South. Mosque security had put out a trash fire in a bathroom before firefighters could arrive.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) said a man went into the mosque with flammable liquid and started the fire. The organization issued a photo of the fire, which shows a gas can and some charred debris inside a bathroom stall.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz condemned the attacks, voicing support for the Muslim community.

In a statement, CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein says he wants the incident to be investigated as a potential bias-motivated crime.

The targeting of two mosques by an arsonist who set them on fire, one after another, raises concerns among the Muslim community, which condemned the hate crimes.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz condemned the attacks, voicing support for the Muslim community.

“Here in Minnesota, everyone must be able to practice their faith without fear,” he wrote on Twitter. “To members of our Muslim community – my heart is with you today. We will not tolerate acts of violence toward our friends and neighbors.”

On Sunday, congregants at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center called police around 7:16 p.m. about a fire in the mosque’s bathroom, according to Minneapolis police. The congregants put out the fire before it could spread.

The second fire occurred Monday evening at Masjid Al Rahma, located in the Mercy Islamic Center building less than one mile from the Masjid Omar Islamic Center. The fire at Masjid Al Rahma occurred on the third floor, which houses business offices it leases out.

The fire caused extensive damage in the third floor and second floor hallways that could cost $50,000 to repair.

“When these attacks happen, it’s to our children, and that’s what makes it even more disturbing and personal for me,” said Nimco Ahmed, president of the Somali American Coalition Action Fund, as she held her 3-year-old daughter, the Star Tribune reported.

“It’s very sad because this state that we call home is so precious to us.”

These surveillance images show a suspect whom police believe started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center inside 24 Somali Mall in south Minneapolis. (Courtesy of the Minneapolis Police Department)

Supporting Muslims

Police released security photos of a White male suspect. No arrests have yet been made in connection with the fires.

“We’re very confident that we will be able to bring this person to justice, but in the meantime we cannot afford to have anything else happen, and we want to be able to ensure that all people can be safe,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference.

While planning a solidarity event for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Masjid Al Rahma mosque, speakers at the news conference voiced support for the Muslim community and lamented the rise of Islamophobic attacks.

“We’ve got to do something,” said Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman. “Hate cannot win in our state.”

A CAIR report, “Targeted: 2018 Civil Rights Report”, recorded 144 anti-mosque incidents in 2017, of which 57 were hate crimes.

It’s noteworthy that many local communities have always come in support of the Muslim community in many cases.

In 2021, members of the local community in Suffolk County in Brentwood, New York, came together in a show of support to the local mosque which was vandalized in May of that year.

In September 2019, the vandalism of the new welcome sign at the Islamic Centre of Grand Junction, Colorado, prompted community to show support and start crowdfunding to repair the damaged sign.

Source: https://aboutislam.net/ and KSTP-TV. Edited for style.