'Deeply Concerning': Another Minnesota Mosque Attacked Amid Increased Islamophobic Incidents

IQNA – A mosque in Minnesota was attacked last week, leaving the Muslim community "deeply" concerned about their safety as Islamophobic incidents have surged across the United States.

The incident occurred on August 27 at 2 am, when a man broke into the Darul Hikmah Islamic Center in Minneapolis using a metal bar, causing an estimated thousands of dollars in damage.

This attack marks the 35th mosque incident in Minnesota over the past three years, making it the state with the highest rate of such incidents, The New Arab reported on Thursday. 

"It seems like we can't get a break. Every few weeks, something is happening," said Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The group is calling for an investigation into a potential bias motive behind the incident.

"For us, it's deeply concerning. It doesn't seem to be ending. We haven't even hit peak election season," Hussein added, referring to the heightened tensions typically seen in October and January during election periods. In 2020, vigilantes who denied the election results stormed the US Capitol.

Minnesota has experienced a surge in mosque attacks in recent years, with the most infamous being the 2017 bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington by militia members.

The frequency of these attacks has increased over the last three years, with some attributing this trend to threats against Representative Ilhan Omar, a Muslim from the Somali community. The Minneapolis area has the highest concentration of Somalis in the US.

Hussein noted that mosques in Minnesota are working to enhance their security measures and are seeking federal funding for better surveillance cameras, which could act as a deterrent. Despite these efforts, the community continues to feel unsettled by the frequent attacks on their places of worship.

Meanwhile, Islamophobic incidents have surged across the country since October last year when the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war on Gaza Strip, where the attacks have killed more than 40,860 people, mostly women and children.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported in late June that discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Palestinians in the United States increased by approximately 70% in the first half of 2024.

Source: Agencies