Alwaght- Islamic centers across the US are on high alert following the bombing of a Mosque in Minnesota amid worrying Islamophobia in the country.
Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center Mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota was bombed on Saturday causing damage but no casualties. Worshippers had been preparing for the dawn prayer when the attack happened. There were between 15 and 20 people inside the building at the time of the terrorist attack.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urging mosques and Islamic centers nationwide to step up security measures. CAIR has called on American Muslims and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sent agents to track down who was behind the attack, which it says was caused by an "improvised explosive device". The mosque, like many others in the US, received threats of attack prior to the bombing. However many Muslims believe that the response, or lack of it, revealed a double standard.
Some questioned why US President Donald Trump failed to respond to what they described as a "terrorist attack" targeting Muslims.
Mark Follman, an editor at the progressive-leaning Mother Jones magazine, said Trump's silence was due to the target of the attack.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota chapter of CAIR today offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who reportedly bombed a mosque in that state this morning during a prayer service. The Muslim American Society of Minnesota is offering a similar reward.
“We hope a reward will help law enforcement authorities quickly apprehend the perpetrator of this act of violence targeting an American house of worship,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Amir Malik. “If a bias motive is proven, this attack would represent another in a long list of hate incidents targeting Islamic institutions nationwide in recent months.”
“The swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrator will send a clear message that attacks on mosques, or on any other American houses of worship, will not be tolerated,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
CAIR has noted an unprecedented spike in hate incidents targeting Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8 election of President Donald Trump. A recent CAIR update on anti-Muslim incidents in the second quarter (April-June) of 2017 indicated that the number of hate crimes in the first half of 2017 spiked 91 percent compared to the same period in 2016.
