Washington Mosque to Recover from Ashes

Thanks to the support from the local community and faith groups, the Islamic center in Bellevue, Washington, is set to be rebuilt soon after it was destroyed twice in arson attacks, KomoNews reported.

“It’s very beautiful,” said Omer Lone, with the New Islamic Center of Eastside, or ICOE.

“The days have come when we can finally start construction very soon.”

The mosque was damaged in an arson attack in January 2017 by a homeless man who confessed setting that fire.

Though the mosque was evacuated, a second arson was set by a teenager in March 2018.

Going through the two attacks, the Bellevue Muslims praised the local community for their support to have their mosque rebuilt.

“Being the imam for the center for 18 years, it’s very dear to my heart. And to many people in the community,” said Imam Fazal Hassan of Islamic Community of Eastside.

“I’m grateful that I’m alive to see this happen and grateful my children attended that mosque and see it rebuilt,” said Farida Hakim, a founding member of ICOE.

“My husband and I, this is the closest mosque to us—about seven minutes. He’ll be profoundly grateful when this project is complete.”

Rebuilding the mosque will cost more than $3 million dollars. Half of the money has been raised thanks to the community fundraisers and the help of the interfaith community.

The process will begin in the first week of August.

Rising Hate

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

According to leading American activists, Muslims are more vulnerable to bigotry and Islamophobia as a result of Trump’s policies than they were after the 9/11 attacks.

Between January and September 2017, CAIR recorded 1,656 so-called “bias incidents” and 195 hate crimes against Muslims in the USA. That represented a 9% increase in bias incidents and a 20% rise in hate crimes compared to 2016.

Yet, the local communities have offered support to the Muslim community in many cases.

In January 2017, more than 12,836 people raised more than $500K to rebuild a mosque in Victoria, Texas after a fire tore through the complex.

Another mosque in Orlando which was destroyed in 2016 received more than $100K in donations to rebuild the mosque that was destroyed in a hate attack.

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source https://aboutislam.net/muslim-issues/n-america/washington-mosque-recover-ashes/