Source: "Common Dreams"
Friday, May 14, 2010
Courtesy Of "Axis Of Logic"
In news video below, Fla. Mosque Attack Called Terrorism, Reward Offered
Bricks at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida are blackened after a Monday night fire.
Police think the man seen in surveillance video from Monday night tried to set the place on fire.
It shows an older man holding a gas can. When the man walks off camera, Muslims inside the Mosque say they heard an explosion.
The fire was quickly put out by members of the center. "It's hard to say what was the motive, whats been going on for the last few weeks, we have seen so much anti-muslim sentiment." said Islamic Center member Muhammad Mansouri.
Investigators are also reviewing a second surveillance tape from a month ago.
It shows another man running inside during a prayer session shouting "stop this blasphemy."
The FBI wants to know if these two men know each other and if they both played a role in yesterday's violence.
The Council of American and Islamic relations is now putting up a $5000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
SEE: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/...
Muslim civil rights group says bomb attack ignored by officials, national media
WASHINGTON - May 14 - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today questioned the silence of public officials and national media about a bomb attack Monday on a Florida mosque.
CAIR, which on Wednesday offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, said media coverage has for the most part been restricted to Florida and that there have been no public condemnations of the bombing at the national level.
SEE: South Florida Group Offers Reward in Mosque Explosion
On Monday evening, a bomb exploded outside the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville. Local, state and national law enforcement authorities are investigating the attack as a possible act of domestic terrorism.
SEE: Fla. Mosque Attack Called Terrorism
FBI Investigating Mosque Pipe-Bombing as Possible Domestic Terrorism
"It is disturbing that, outside the state of Florida, our fellow citizens are largely unaware of the fact that a potentially-deadly bomb exploded at an American house of worship," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "One can only imagine the public and media response if someone with a Muslim name was the perpetrator of this apparent terror attack."
He congratulated local, state and national law enforcement agencies for their work on the case, but said he knows of just one national media outlet -- AOL News -- that reported on the bombing.
FBI Finds Pipe Bomb Used in Blast at Fla. Mosque
FBI Has 4 Leads in Mosque Explosion
Awad attributed the attack to a "growing atmosphere of anti-Muslim sentiment" nationwide, and in particular in Florida.
Last week, CAIR called on national Republican leaders to repudiate Islamophobic campaign advertisements for a Florida GOP congressional candidate.
SEE: CAIR Asks GOP to Repudiate Racist, Anti-Muslim Ads
Last month, CAIR reported that a Muslim university professor was appointed to the Jacksonville, Fla., Human Rights Commission despite a prolonged smear campaign by the anti-Islam hate group ACT! for America, whose leader says Muslims should not be allowed to hold public office.
SEE: Muslim Appointed to Fla. Commission Despite Smears
The FBI has been asked to investigate allegations that the same hate group has been harassing members of Florida's Muslim community.
SEE: Fla. Muslim Asks FBI to Probe Harassment by Hate Group
In Miami, anti-Islam advertisements were initially pulled from buses because of community concerns. The ads were later re-instated following threats of legal action by the sponsors, whose leader Pamela Geller has written on her personal blog that "Hitler and the Nazis were inspired by Islam" and that "lies and decption [sic] to advance Islam is a mandate." On her blog, Geller has also referred to President Obama as a "ball s**ker" and posted a photoshopped image of him urinating on an American flag.
SEE: Anti-Islam Ads Pulled From Miami Buses
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Council on American Islamic Relations
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