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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 7 august 2017

Minnesota mosque explosion ‘deeper and scarier’ than threats

By JEFF BAENEN league, religious classes,
Associated Press lectures and other events.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The “It’s a place that a family
Dar Al-Farooq Islamic can come and get every-
Center in suburban Min- thing they need,” Omar
neapolis, like other U.S. said.
mosques, occasionally re- The mosque opened in
ceives threatening calls 2011 at the site of a for-
and emails. But leaders say mer elementary school in
they’re more frightened the suburb of about 85,000
after a weekend attack in and serves people primar-
which an explosive shat- ily from the area’s large
tered windows and dam- Somali community. Minne-
aged a room as worship- sota is home to the largest
pers prepared for morning Somali community in the
prayers. U.S., roughly 57,000 people,
“We feel like it’s much according to the latest
deeper and scarier than census figures.
like something random,” Some residents opposed
Mohamed Omar, the cen- the center’s opening, and
ter’s executive director, complaints have been
said Sunday. made about parking, noise
“It’s so scary.” and traffic, the Star Tribune
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton appears at a news conference at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in No one was hurt in the reported. Omar said the
Bloomington, Minn., on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017, where an explosion damaged a room and shattered blast, which happened center gets along with “92,
windows as worshippers prepared for morning prayers early Saturday. around 5 a.m. Saturday. 93 percent” of its neigh-
(Courtney Pedroza/Star Tribune via AP)
Windows of the imam’s of- bors.
fice were shattered, either And while the mosque has
by the blast or by an object received threatening calls
thrown through them. The and messages, Deputy
FBI is seeking suspects and Bloomington Police Chief
trying to determine wheth- Mike Hartley said Sunday
er the incident was a hate he was unware of any hate
crime. crimes reported at the cen-
Gov. Mark Dayton, who ter.
joined other public officials Saturday’s bombing comes
and community leaders for amid a rise in reports of anti-
a meeting inside the build- Muslim incidents in the U.S.,
ing Sunday, described the including arson attacks
bombing as “so wretched” and vandalism at mosques,
and “not Minnesota.” harassment of women
“This is an act of terrorism. wearing Muslim head cov-
This is against the law in erings and bullying of Mus-
America,” Dayton said at lim schoolchildren. Just
a news conference after- recently in Minnesota, an
ward, the Star Tribune re- Islamic cemetery in Castle
ported . Rock Township reported it
Besides serving as a place had been vandalized with

280 2333 of worship and commu- spray painted profanities
nity center, the mosque and swastikas.
Orange Plaza in Bloomington, just south The U.S. Department of
Homeland Security said in
of Minneapolis, has a fit-
Italiëstraat 50 ness center, gymnasiums a Saturday statement on
the Bloomington explosion
for boys and girls, a foot-
ball field and adjoins a city that the department “fully
park, Omar said. He esti- supports the rights of all to
mates the mosque holds freely and safely worship
up to 300 worshippers for the faith of their choosing
Friday prayers. The commu- and we vigorously con-
nity center also hosts com- demn such attacks on any
puter classes, a basketball religious institution.”q