On Nov. 14, 2015, the only mosque in Peterborough, Ontario—the Masjid Al-Salaam—was set on fire. According to local police, the fire was deliberately set around 11 p.m. Kenzu Abdella, the president of the Kawartha Muslim Association, explained that the building had been occupied by community members until about 10:30 p.m. due to the celebration of the birth of a young couple’s child.
Shortly after the celebration ended, and community members left the mosque, a neighbour noticed smoke and called emergency services.
The police investigation had originally deemed the fire suspicious. By the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, the fire marshall determined that the fire was set deliberately. However, at the time of writing, further details have not yet been released to the public.
Police have yet to determine a motive. The fire department in Peterborough places the damage at around $80,000.
The inside of the building, although not completely destroyed, has serious smoke damage. Abdella reported, to the National Post, that the entire inside of the building is blackened.
“It’s not what we expected,” explained Abdella, in an article by Advocate Daily.“We thought [the damage] was minor”
The Mayor of Peterborough, Daryl Bennett, condemned the arson via Twitter.
“If this is found to be a hate crime, it in no way represents the feelings of our community” said Bennett in the statement he released on Twitter.
Bennett added, “Attacking a place of worship is a despicable act. Masjid Al-Salaam, the name of the mosque, means Mosque of Peace.”
In response to the fire, a community member, Duane Rousselle, started a fundraising campaign on Fundrazr to attempt to raise costs to cover the $80,000 in repairs. The community responded positively and within five hours of creation, the campaign had already raised over $10,000.