Salam Alfarsi Islamic Center, Corvallis
  • NYT
  • Salam Alfarsi Islamic Center, Corvallis
Despite the urging of local officials to not fight violence with violence, on Sunday morning someone set a firebomb at the Corvallis mosque attended by Mohamed Mohamud, the 19-year-old accused of plotting to blow up the Pioneer Square tree lighting ceremony.

Denis mentioned the firebombing in yesterday's Good Morning News, but reports Sunday afternoon shows that there was significant physical damage in Corvallis' Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center, in addition to the deep psychological damage of the attack.

The New York Times reports that well-wishers stopped by the mosque throughout the afternoon and evening and that marriage and death certificates as well as several Korans had been burned. Part of the irony is that, according to the Times, Mohamud stopped attending the mosque in the weeks before his attempt—part of his overall erratic behavior.

On Sunday evening, Mayor Sam Adams and Amanda Fritz led a peace rally outside Portland city hall condemning the violence against the Muslim community. "This is a perfect example of the problems facing Somali youth in our community. They need support, they need their parents, who are often refugees, to try and understand them," said Somali community organizer Kayse Jama, according to the Oregonian. "Some of them experience isolation and a lack of support."

Christian Portland social justice activist Rev. Chuck Currie has a good post on his blog: "Christians, Jews and Muslims in Portland have worked hard to build ties and bridges in the years since 9/11 and you can no more blame the entire Muslim world for acts of terrorism than you can blame all Christians for the Oklahoma City Bombing or domestic terrorist attacks against women's clinics."