Eliminating Evidence?

Fire was intentionally set at Islamic Center in Corvallis where alleged bomb plot suspect attended

 Imam Wanly, "Wahhh, the Infidels are being mean to me."

Portland bomb plot suspect's mosque arson

Has there ever been a case of an "Islamophobic" hate crime that wasn't actually a case of a Muslim staging an Islamophobic hate crime?

The answer to that is that I can recall, recently, there was a case of arson against a Mosquqe in Tennessee.

Other than that, I can not recall any.

So, I'm sure it sounds harsh, but I highly doubt this Mosque Fire was anything but a staged incident, or, even worse, an attempt to cover up evidence of complicity on the part of the Mosque staff.

From AP:

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Someone set fire to an Islamic center on Sunday, two days after a man who worshipped there was accused of trying to blow up a van full of explosives during Portland's Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Other Muslims fear it could be the first volley of misplaced retribution.

The charges against Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Somali-born 19-year-old who was caught in a federal sting operation, are testing tolerance in a state that has been largely accepting of Muslims. Muslims who know the suspect say they are shocked by the allegations against him and that he had given them no hint of falling into radicalism.

The fire at the Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis was reported at 2:15 a.m., and evidence at the scene led authorities to believe it was set intentionally, said Carla Pusateri, a fire prevention officer for the Corvallis Fire Department.

Authorities don't know who started the blaze or why, but they believe the center was targeted because Mohamud occasionally worshipped there.

Arthur Balizan, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, said there's no conclusive link to the bombing in Portland or specific evidence that it's a hate crime, other than the timing.

U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton vowed to prosecute the case aggressively.

"The fact is that violent extremists come from all religions and no religion at all. For one person to blame a group, if that's what happened here, is uniquely anti-American and will be pursued with the full force of the Justice Department," he said.

Mohamud was being held on charges of plotting to carry out a terror attack Friday on a crowd of thousands at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, and it wasn't clear if he had a lawyer yet.

On Friday, he parked what he thought was a bomb-laden van near the ceremony and then went to a nearby train station, where he dialed a cell phone that he believed would detonate the vehicle, federal authorities said. Instead, federal authorities moved in and arrested him. No one was hurt.

There were also no injuries in Sunday's fire, which burned 80 percent of the center's office but did not spread to worship areas or any other rooms, said Yosof Wanly, the center's imam.

After daybreak, members gathered at the center, where a broken window had been boarded up.

"I've prayed for my family and friends, because obviously if someone was deliberate enough to do this, what's to stop them from coming to our homes and our schools?" said Mohamed Alyagouri, a 31-year-old father of two who worships at the center. "I'm afraid for my children getting harassed from their teachers, maybe from their friends."

Wanly said he was thinking about temporarily relocating his family because of the possibility of hate crimes.
"We know how it is, we know some people due to ignorance are going to perceive of these things and hold most Muslims accountable," Wanly said. But he said said Corvallis, a college town about 75 miles southwest of Portland, has long been accepting of Muslims.

"The common scene here is to be very friendly, accepting various cultures and religions," Wanly said. "The Islamic center has been here for 40 years, it's more American than most Americans with regards to age."

There are a couple things to understand here.

1) Corvallis is a college town, home of the Oregon State, Beavers, and is probably the most Liberal towns in the state of Oregon. It is hardly a place where "Islamophobia" would reign.

2) It is right out of the Al Qaeda playbook that, when a Jihad attack occurs, the Jihadist ought immediately shift the focus from his guilt to the guilt of those whom he attacked, crying out against the abuse and torture he receives at the hands of those who would go so far as to arrest him.

Forgive me if I find a similarity between that tactic and the Imam's claim that he believes he needs to move his family to avoid being the target of hate crime.

What a drama queen, at the very least.