MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Supporters from all over the country have called to give encouragement to a suburban Nashville mosque where a fire was the latest setback for a planned new building, officials said Sunday.
Authorities told the center that four pieces of heavy construction equipment on the site were doused with and accelerant and one set ablaze, said Camie Ayash, spokeswoman for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Federal investigators have not ruled it arson, saying only that the fire was being probed and asked the public to call in tips. Earlier, Ayash said that gasoline was poured on the equipment but later backed off that statement.
“No threats, not at all,” since the fire, Ayash told The Associated Press. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of calls of support.”
American Muslim leaders say the furor over the building of a mosque near ground zero has emboldened opposition groups to resist new mosques elsewhere.
Some say they oppose them because of infrastructure and traffic problems. Others have implied that the mosque would be a haven for terrorists.