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| Fire destroys Tenn. mosque; arson suspected |
| 2008-02-10 |
| COLUMBIA, Tenn. - A mosque was destroyed Saturday by a fire that federal investigators say appears to have been caused by arson. No one was injured. Investigators found drawings of swastikas and other graffiti at the Islamic Center of Columbia, said Special Agent Eric Kehn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Daoud Abudiab, president of the center, said authorities told him the fire probably started around 5 a.m. The graffiti included the words "white power" and "we run the world," Abudiab said. Ten to 15 people regularly worshipped at the mosque, which opened in 2000. Abudiab said they plan to look for another place to worship in Columbia, about 50 miles south of Nashville. "This has been home for us — Middle Tennessee and Columbia — since 1998, and people have been supportive and friendly and welcoming," he said. "Obviously, we are concerned, but it hasn't really sunk in yet." |
| Posted by:Icerigger |
| #21 They're also usually gutless. When was the last time you heard about the KKK actually perpetrating an act of violence? I'd as quickly suspect red-on-red, insurance fraud, personal vendetta or self inflicted for publicity as "hate crime". All these swastikas could be diversionary evidence to spread suspicion elsewhere. That sure has become a prevalent MO among campus lefties. More facts, please. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-02-10 19:58 |
| #20 I've had a couple of encounters with the KKK around here and it wouldn't surprise me if it was the KKK. They are White Supemacists and the ones I encountered were dumber than a bucket of hair. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-02-10 19:30 |
| #19 Bravo, lotp. What she said. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-02-10 19:23 |
| #18 Could be someone ticked at Muzzies delivering a payback message; more likely an inside job hoping to score some racism/bigotry points against the home team. The graffiti makes me think the latter. In the past decade, real right-wing violence in the U.S. has been vanishingly rare. Most of what has initially be suspected of such has been found to be done by the supposed victims in search of sympathy from the media. |
| Posted by: Jomosing Bluetooth8431 2008-02-10 17:42 |
| #17 What unacceptable behavior? Arson. I have no problem with military action against mosques, if they are engaged in actions against the US, or being used by others who are doing so. Independent attacks on mosques, or Muslims in general, without compelling evidence that they, specifically, are acting as our enemy is unacceptable. Worse, it will drive respectable Muslims (yes, they do exist) to our enemy. We do not need more enemies. I would guess that the majority of our spending in the Muslim world these days is not used for killing our enemies but rather for turning enemies to neutrals and neutrals to friends - let's not undo that effort by stupidity here at home. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-02-10 16:05 |
| #16 I truly don't care. Mosques don't belong in any country, much less the US. Islam is a |
| Posted by: Crusader 2008-02-10 15:18 |
| #15 Apparent proof that Muslims don't have a TOTAL monopoly on unacceptable behavior. What unacceptable behavior? |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-02-10 15:07 |
| #14 You know better than that mczoid. You KNOW better than that. Let me tell you a about an event that happened a little more than half a century ago. There was a small school in Annapolis, old but at that time undistinguished until a few scholars who looked upon the nazis and communists sought it as a place to protect the best of Western civilization against the hordes of destruction and darkness. To that school came some from the Old World, men and a few women who had spent their lives dedicated to truth and the light. Some were Jews fleeing Stalin and Hitler, others from other backgrounds. One of them was a Jewish scholar named Jacob Klein, who declined to join his friend Leo Strauss in active Zionism but who in quiet diginity continued his work in philosphy and mathematics, work that had made him Heidigger's star student destined, most thought, to outshine his teacher until Hitler took power. About the time that Klein was named dean of this small college with the new mission, to save what is good in the West from the hosts of Mordor, the US Naval academy wanted to expand due to the war. To save a little time and money they proposed to seize the little college under eminent domain. With difficulty, and with the help of a few acquaintances in Washington, Klein secured a meeting with the Secretary of the Navy. When he and a few others arrived, the Secretary took out a pocketwatch and announced that they had exactly 60 seconds to convince him why he should bother to leave that college alone, given how important the war was. Klein looked at him quietly. Took out a pipe, filled it, tamped it down lit it. Drew on it a few times. Then he stood up, went to the door and turned to say: Without what St. John's stands for today, this country is not worth defending against the Nazis. And then Klein, who had lost family in the death camps, walked away. By the time he and his colleagues reached Annapolis the Secretary's telegram had arrived, announcing that the Academy would build the necessary bridges and expand across College Creek. I love this country. I'm deeply grateful that my ancestors were able both to help build it and, on my father's side, to start a new life here when the communist tyranny darked the land they had lived in for millenia. Since the Revolution, and on my father's side since they arrived here, we have repaid this country through hard work, through miltiary service, in blood on the battle field. And with my old tutor Joscha Klein and all of the men and women of St. Johns College and elsewhere who value truth and liberty above all, I say firmly: Without the tradition of judging a man by what he does and not by his name or his religion or the color of his skin, this country is not worth defending against any of the forms of darkness that threaten it. Because that is where our light lies. And I know that you know that. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-02-10 14:12 |
| #13 Muslims commit an inordinate number of arsons for insurance money. Arrest anyone named Muhammad. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-02-10 13:27 |
| #12 Arson is arson, folks. It's a despicable crime. People could have been murdered. It's just plain unacceptable. And to jds: if they do catch the perps, the proper action is a fair trial and then a long, long stretch in jug. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-02-10 13:26 |
| #11 Shia or Sunni? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-02-10 12:48 |
| #10 Why Swastikas? Since when have the paleo or neo-Nazis been down on our muslim friends? They were on the Nazi's Xmas list in WWII for killing jews and making life unpleasant for the Brits in the mideast and India. |
| Posted by: Solomon Hupish5236 2008-02-10 12:44 |
| #9 Global warming is a good candidate for |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-02-10 12:40 |
| #8 An Inside Job is not impossible to imagine. |
| Posted by: hammerhead 2008-02-10 12:29 |
| #7 If it wasn't KKK-types, then the truth will not come out. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-02-10 12:11 |
| #6 Wait and see. It may be what it pretends to be, but most of the KKK-type cross burnings of recent years have turned out to be fake. Let's just be patient and let the arson investigators do their job. The truth will probably come out in the sifting of the ashes. |
| Posted by: Tholush Squank4616 2008-02-10 10:59 |
| #5 Flaming bullshit propaganda. Blame Al Gore. This is an obvious consequence of global warming. Trying to ward off the extreme chill from the the latest artic express, due undoubtedly from global warming interactions, the 7th century goat f**kers put more goat dung chips into the fire barrel than it could handle. The extra sparks caused everything to go haywire. Simple explanation to simple problem. Wonder if this will happen more frequently, due to the rather chill temps from global warming ? |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2907 2008-02-10 10:30 |
| #4 I'm having a hard time feeling bad this happened or felling the guilty should be punished. If anyone's caught I'll contribute to thier defense. When the government won't start protecting the citizens from the incursions of our enemy then the public will take measures into thier own hands. I'm gonna bet the mosks attendees did not try to distance them selves from traditional isalm or the terrorists it produces. |
| Posted by: jds 2008-02-10 10:14 |
| #3 Jack Daniels country near Columbia. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-02-10 09:50 |
| #2 Somehow I get the feeling that this wasn't any of my neighbors but instead is just one more act done by the supposed victims to draw attention. Honestly, we just don't give mudheads that much attention here in Tennessee. Besides, I suspect if the KKK really had something to do with it, they'd of made sure it was occupied and nailed the doors shut first. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2008-02-10 09:47 |
| #1 Apparent proof that Muslims don't have a TOTAL monopoly on unacceptable behavior. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-02-10 09:47 |