A Christmas Day fire at a Houston mosque appears suspicious and started in several places, CNN reported on Saturday, citing a federal official.
The Islamic Center of Houston caught fire after Friday prayers when it was mostly empty and no injuries were reported, CNN said. The mosque was part of a strip mall.
Special Agent Nicole Strong of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was too soon to determine the fire's cause, CNN said. The blaze drew 80 firefighters, the report said.
Strong was not immediately available for comment.
Anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the rise in the US, stoked by recent Islamic State-related attacks in France and California and anti-Muslim statements by Republican presidential hopefuls.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which tracks such incidents, said the scale of vandalism, damage and intimidation at American mosques this year is the worst in the six years it has kept records.
The Islamic Center of Houston caught fire after Friday prayers when it was mostly empty and no injuries were reported, CNN said. The mosque was part of a strip mall.
Special Agent Nicole Strong of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was too soon to determine the fire's cause, CNN said. The blaze drew 80 firefighters, the report said.
Strong was not immediately available for comment.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which tracks such incidents, said the scale of vandalism, damage and intimidation at American mosques this year is the worst in the six years it has kept records.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2015
COMMENTS
Advertisement
The 62 Most Anticipated Movies of 2024 From Gaza War To Protecting Earth, All About King Charles' Christmas Message Christmas 2023: Know The Significance Of Lighting Candles On Christmas "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Killed In Protests Wife Among Two Jailed For Life For Man's Murder In Gurugram: Cops 1,100 Flights Cancelled In US As Microsoft Outage Disrupts Operations Elon Musk Congratulates PM Modi On Becoming Most Followed Leader On X Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.