Attack on Minnesota mosque marks fifth for state this year

A mosque attack in Minnesota marks the fifth for the state this year, an unusually high number that is leaving the area's Muslim community feeling vulnerable.

The incident took place early Friday morning at the Masjid Al Sunnah Mosque in Saint Paul, where an individual threw a large rock at the building, causing significant damage. The previous attack on a mosque in the state was around two weeks ago.

"Two weeks off, and we're back at it," Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Minnesota, told The New Arab exasperatedly, speaking from the scene of the incident on Friday.

"I'm here at the mosque now. People are coming in shocked," he said. "This is the fifth incident in Minnesota in 2023. This is something we're really concerned about. It doesn't look like these are coordinated, but there's definitely something going on that warrants a review."

Hussein said that the community will have a safety coordinator for the state's 90 mosques which will eventually be expanded into the region. The coordinator will apply for security grants and tap into resources.

As with previous incidents, he said they have seen solidarity from outside the local Muslim community.

However, he has found that over the past two years, the support has waned. This has been reflected in the low funds they have raised in crowdfunding campaigns following these incidents. 

CAIR-Minnesota is calling for an investigation into a bias motive probe. As of Friday afternoon, the suspect was still at large.