Joplin mosque razed in fire; 2nd blaze this summer

JOPLIN, Mo.(AP)— A mosque in southwest Missouri burned to the ground early Monday in the second fire to hit the Islamic center in little more than a month, officials said.

The fire at the Islamic Society of Joplin was reported about 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office said. The sheriff's department said the building was a total loss. No injuries were reported and no charges have been filed.

Imam Lahmuddin, who leads the mosque and was in the building until late Sunday, said he was "sad and shocked" about the fire.

"I'm still in front of the building looking at the damage and nothing can be saved," Lahmuddin said in a telephone interview Monday. "But since we are people of faith we just can remember that this is a thing that happened because God let it happen, and we have to be patient, particularly in the month of Ramadan, control our emotions, our anger."

Authorities sifted through the black debris Monday. Only remnants indicated a building had been there, including some stone pillars that were still standing and a few pieces of charred plywood loosely held up by a frame. At least a dozen law enforcement vehicles and a fire truck were at the scene.

A blaze at the same building July 4 caused minor damage and was determined arson. No arrests were made and the FBI has offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to charges in that fire.

The agency released video footage of what appeared to be a man starting the July blaze that did not cause extensive damage. Sharon Rhine, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said the center's security cameras were burned in the Monday fire.

The FBI is investigating the cause of the latest fire and whether or not it was also the result of arson, said agency spokeswoman Bridgett Patton.

A Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization meanwhile called for more police protection at mosques and other houses of worship following the Joplin fire and a deadly attack at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. The Council on American-Islamic Relations also offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever started the mosque fire.

About 50 families belong to the Islamic Society of Joplin, which opened in 2007 as a mosque and community center. The FBI led an investigation in 2008 when the mosque's sign was torched. That crime also remained unsolved.

Lahmuddin, who has lived in Joplin for about four years, said several people were at the center late Sunday. He said despite the attacks, the center's members have good relationships with residents and other churches. He said many are doctors at area hospitals.

On Sunday, a gunman killed six people at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee. The imam said it was a cause of great concern that both faiths had seemingly come under attack.

"I heard that yesterday, and this morning we see this happen in our place," he said. "We are more fortunate that no one here got hurt in this incident."

It is really hard to know what to say.

Is anyone else getting really tired of hatred and destruction lately?

FKA Reader wrote:

It is really hard to know what to say.
Is anyone else getting really tired of hatred and destruction lately?

Well, that's interesting...considering that you have no problem expressing your feelings regarding the USA's "deserved" attack by Islamists on 9/11.

tip wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, that's interesting...considering that you have no problem expressing your feelings regarding the USA's "deserved" attack by Islamists on 9/11.

tip--maybe you would like to share why you find a discussion of whether or not the US "deserved" 9/11 is a fruitful topic (and I will remind you that I did not endorse either side of the question), and then go on to explain how any country (and particularly any individual citizens of that country) might or might not "deserve" any act of war.

Then lay out the reasons that you are certain that there is one and only one right answer to the question as it pertains to the deservingness of the US. And then prove your answer.

FKA Reader wrote:

It is really hard to know what to say.
Is anyone else getting really tired of hatred and destruction lately?

Personally, I'm getting tired of the way muslims have legally invaded this country and are spreading their own brand of hatred against us.

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
tip--maybe you would like to share why you find a discussion of whether or not the US "deserved" 9/11 is a fruitful topic (and I will remind you that I did not endorse either side of the question), and then go on to explain how any country (and particularly any individual citizens of that country) might or might not "deserve" any act of war.
Then lay out the reasons that you are certain that there is one and only one right answer to the question as it pertains to the deservingness of the US. And then prove your answer.

The comment was about YOUR known prior statements in comparison to YOUR above statement, reflecting on "hatred and destruction."

The hypocrisy is all YOURS, Ms. Sanctimonious Shill.

tip wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, that's interesting...considering that you have no problem expressing your feelings regarding the USA's "deserved" attack by Islamists on 9/11.

If you remember it was a christian fanatic which bombed the Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Look up the Christian Identity movement & other christian hate groups. Does that mean all christians are terrorists? I'm not making any excuses for fundamentalists which endorse sharia. But not all muslims are like that. A middle-eastern woman in the next town over from mine came here so her daughter wouldn't have to grow up under sharia law. She wanted her to grow up free.

rowdy01 wrote:

<quoted text>
Personally, I'm getting tired of the way muslims have legally invaded this country and are spreading their own brand of hatred against us.

In Joplin, it would appear as though a group of Muslims are trying to build a Mosque. What specifically are they doing to "spread their own brand of hatred"?

In Wisconsin a group of Sikhs were gunned down, most likely because they looked to a hate-filled gunman like they were Muslim. Or maybe he hated Sikhs as well. Who knows?

rowdy01 wrote:

<quoted text>
Personally, I'm getting tired of the way muslims have legally invaded this country and are spreading their own brand of hatred against us.

What hatred are the 1's in america spreading?

tip wrote:

<quoted text>
The comment was about YOUR known prior statements in comparison to YOUR above statement, reflecting on "hatred and destruction."
The hypocrisy is all YOURS, Ms. Sanctimonious Shill.

My (known prior) statement did not proclaim the US to be either deserving or undeserving.

Are you unable to answer any of my questions?

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
My (known prior) statement did not proclaim the US to be either deserving or undeserving.
Are you unable to answer any of my questions?

Your ongoing refusal to state that you believe the US did not deserve the attack pretty much is all that needs to be said skimmer.

Stop dancing because the band stopped playing a long time ago.

DayStar_ wrote:

<quoted text>
What hatred are the 1's in america spreading?

See Fred's post. I believe he explained it for all of us.

6was9 wrote:

<quoted text>
Your ongoing refusal to state that you believe the US did not deserve the attack pretty much is all that needs to be said skimmer.
Stop dancing because the band stopped playing a long time ago.

I'm not the one who keeps bringing it up.

But--since you are apparently convinced that there is one and only one right answer, perhaps you would care to address the questions that I asked of tip.

6was9 wrote:

<quoted text>
Your ongoing refusal to state that you believe the US did not deserve the attack pretty much is all that needs to be said skimmer.
Stop dancing because the band stopped playing a long time ago.

Or, if the questions that I asked tip are too difficult, maybe you want to just address the question of whether the folks in Joplin deserved to have their Mosque burned to the ground.

Fred Gee Sanford wrote:

<quoted text>
The Buffalo Six: Shafal Mosed, Yahya Goba, Sahim Alwan, Mukhtar Al-Bakri, Yasein Taher, Elbaneh Jaber. Six Muslims from the Lackawanna, N.Y. area were charged and convicted for providing material support to al Qaeda.[151]
Iyman Faris In October 2003 Iyman Faris was sentenced to 20 years in prison for providing material support and resources to al Qaeda and conspiracy for providing the terrorist organization with information about possible U.S. targets for attack.[151]
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali In November 2005 he was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for providing material support and resources to al Qaeda, conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States, conspiracy to commit air piracy and conspiracy to destroy aircraft.[151]
Ali al-Tamimi was convicted and sentenced in April 2005 to life in prison for recruiting Muslims in the U.S. to fight U.S. troops in Afghanistan.[151]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_the_Uni...
Those scum bags are all United States citizens.
Group has ties to terrorists
The congressman should have been more wary given its history.
July 29, 2010|By Benyamin Korn
Share on emailShare on printShare on redditMore Sharing Services
Does it matter if a candidate for U.S. Senate served as a keynote speaker for an extremist group? Does it matter if he hired one of the group's staff to serve on his staff? These are some of the questions being asked about Rep. Joe Sestak as voters learn about his ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR's representatives have not been shy about saying how they feel about Hamas, which the U.S. government classifies as a terrorist group. CAIR executive director Nihad Awad has said, "I am in support of the Hamas movement more than the PLO," the Palestine Liberation Organization.
http://articles.philly.com/2010-07-29/news/24...

Besides the white supremacist killing people at the temple in Wisconsin this has also happened over the last week & a half. You can probably find more if you google around.

Aug 7, 2012
Tennessee mosque set to open Friday
(it had 2 arsons, a bomb threat, & vandalized several times. Murfreesboro is home to a chapter of the aryan brotherhood.)

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/07/us/tennessee-mo...

Aug 6, 2012
Joplin Mosque Razed in Fire; 2nd Blaze This Summer

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/joplin-mos...

Aug 3, 2012
Member of white supremacist group pleads guilty in Florida

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-08-03/justice/ju...

July 26, 2012
Five arrested, accused of terrorizing Jewish camp in Pennsylvania

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/26/justice/pennsyl...

July 25, 2012
Swastikas found drawn at Jewish woman's apartment

http://www.live5news.com/story/19111867/west-...

July 30, 2012
Black Wedding Banned by Miss. Baptist Church

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/31/tag...

Fairbanks Alaska Prosecutors display weaponry seized after militiamen arrests

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
My (known prior) statement did not proclaim the US to be either deserving or undeserving.
Are you unable to answer any of my questions?

I'll interpret the Joplin mosque blaze à la Reader:

"The mosque owners may or may not have deserved to have their mosque burned to the ground."

Êtes-vous heureux?

FKA Reader wrote:

<quoted text>
Or, if the questions that I asked tip are too difficult, maybe you want to just address the question of whether the folks in Joplin deserved to have their Mosque burned to the ground.

I would be happy to. The answer is no, they did not deserve it.

Now that I have answered your question...
Do you believe the US deserved the 911 attacks?

Oops ~~ found another. Didn't I say more could be found by googling around? This 1 from a few days ago.

Aug 2, 2012

Family: Aryan Nation behind Dyersburg man's disappearance

http://www.wmctv.com/story/19172782/family-se...

Hey, since you guys are blaming all muslims to the point of killing anyone that remotely looks like a muslim. & the white supremacists are using the banner of "defending white christians", I have a great idea ~~ ban all religion. Every last 1 of them. Things might be a lot more peaceful.

DayStar_ wrote:

Hey, since you guys are blaming all muslims to the point of killing anyone that remotely looks like a muslim. & the white supremacists are using the banner of "defending white christians", I have a great idea ~~ ban all religion. Every last 1 of them. Things might be a lot more peaceful.

"you guys"? To whom are you referring?