Petersborough, Ontario – Police say a mosque in Peterborough, Ontario was deliberately set ablaze, but they are still looking into the motive and searching for suspects.
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Police said Sunday it was unclear whether the fire was connected to the attacks in Paris that left over 123 people dead.
The mosque was set ablaze at 11 p.m. Saturday, about a half hour after members of Kawartha Muslim Religious Association were in the building celebrating the birth of a baby, the association’s president Kenzu Abdella said.
No one was injured in the fire but the building has been rendered unusable, Abdella said.
Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett issued a statement condemning the fire.
“Attacking a place of worship is a despicable act,” the statement said. “Masjid Al-Salaam, the name of the mosque, means mosque of peace.”
Salaam – Muslim – Islam: these words derive from a common root idea and it’s not peace. It’s submission. Muslims bifurcate the world into two spheres: Dar as-salaam (the realm or house of submission to Islam) and Dar Al-Harb (the realm or house of war). It is the sworn duty of the house of Islamic submission to bring the house of war under its domain and control. The rest is commentary. Go and learn.