The arsonist attack at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo adds to the growing concern that the constitutional right to worship freely is not safeguarded when it comes American Muslims.

In the summer of 2012, 8 mosques were attacked in just eleven days (Salon.com).  In Joplin, Missouri, a mosque was destroyed by an arsonist; the same thing happened to the small Muslim community in Columbia, Tennessee, where I visited in 2009 (watch the interview here).  In August 2012, Muslim gravestones were desecrated with phrases like ‘Fuck you raghead’ and ‘Mohammad is a liar and a fagit’.  American Muslims also saw a spike in mosque attacks after the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden.  These are only a few of the many, many stories on attacks against American mosques over the last few years.

Loon Watch, and anti-Islamophobia website, posted this People for the American Way info-graphic that gives a visual representation of attacks on mosques in the USA, highlighting that the phenomenon of hate attacks is spreading across the country:

The silence of both Democrats and Republicans is truly astonishing.  President Obama hasn’t said a word about them, nor are the wave of anti-Muslim attacks even an issue in the 2012 presidential campaign.  This, too, is truly astonishing considering that religious freedom is a core principle of American identity.

I wonder if Obama would act differently if synagogues or churches were attacked with such frequency.

Related articles

• Religion/outreach: How you can help the Muslims of Joplin, Missouri rebuild their mosque (drcraigconsidine.wordpress.com)