From the rubble of a firebombed mosque, relationships have emerged.

After local men burned the Islamic Center of Columbia, Tenn., to the ground in February, Muslim families had no place to worship. Donations came in to help establish a new center, and the First Presbyterian Church in town allowed them to worship at its church.

"It's just a great example of how we can believe different things and respect, celebrate each other," said Daoud Abudiab, president of the Islamic Center of Columbia. "And that's regardless of those who carry out acts of hate toward other groups."

Two of the three men charged with destroying and vandalizing the mosque pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in Nashville, as the Islamic Center works to open its doors at 500 Carter St. in Columbia. [Link]

A place of worship for Muslims in Omaha was the target of vandals.

It happened at a mosque near 133rd Street and Q Street.

Somebody threw a rock through the front door and shattered the glass sometime between Monday and Tuesday night.

A worshipper at the mosque, Bilal Khaleeq, believes the attack was a hate crime. “This is where we offer our prayers. We build our community, bring our children to educate so it does have a lot of emotional attachment,” Khaleeq said. [Link]

Officials from the Dayton fire department and HAZMAT have not determined what type of chemical was released during a Friday night service at the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton center, 26 Josie St., according to Dayton Fire Lt. John Strukamp.

The Society held the service to recognize and celebrate Ramadan, but the service was disrupted by a suspected chemical irritant that forced members out of the church and into the streets. [Link]

The FBI is investigating the burning of a mosque's sign in Joplin as a potential hate crime.

The sign for the Islamic Society of Joplin was set aflame early Thursday morning. Fire investigators say there's no doubt the fire was deliberately set.

The Jasper County Sheriff's Department initially investigated the arson but the FBI has taken over.

Navid Zaidi, the society's treasurer, says the mosque hasn't had much trouble since in opened in February 2007 other than the occasional shouted comments from passing drivers.

But he says he believes the burning was a hate crime.

Zaidi says the mosque put up the sign two months ago to better fit in the community. It reads "Islamic Society of Joplin" in both English and Arabic. [Link]

Two Greater Boston men and a juvenile were charged yesterday with committing a hate crime against two Muslim families in Revere, according to a statement from US attorney Michael J. Sullivan.

Adam J. Bonito, 21, of Revere and Christopher D. Giaquinto, 22, of Winthrop were charged with carrying out a criminal conspiracy that interfered with the fair housing rights of two Muslim families living in a duplex in Revere, according to Sullivan.

Bonito and Giaquinto repeatedly damaged and vandalized vehicles parked in front of the duplex shared by the families in 2004 and 2005, Sullivan said.

The intended victim was a Muslim of Middle Eastern descent who lived at the duplex.

A person at each of the homes of Bonito and Giaquinto said the men declined comment last night.

Bonito and Giaquinto, along with others, allegedly vandalized a Nissan van parked outside the house on Sept. 19, 2004, breaking a windshield and several windows and damaging the body of the van, Sullivan alleges.

During January and March 2005, Bonito and another person vandalized a Dodge van parked in front of the house that they believed belonged to the same victim, the US attorney said.

Another male, whose name was not released because he is under 18, has been charged in juvenile delinquency proceedings for his "bias motivated acts of vandalism," Sullivan said. [Link]

The entrance sign to the Sikh temple in Fairfield was damaged by bullets so often, members finally decided to let it be.

"We used to change the sign, but haven't done it for more than a year," said Gurpreet Dhugga. "Our mission isn't accomplished yet."

That "mission" is to educate a public that - ever since 9/11 - sees a turban and thinks terrorist.

"We need to educate people about the Punjabi culture," Dhugga said. "There's a lot of ignorance about this."

The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and subsequent bigotry led Dhugga and a few others to start the Punjabi Heritage Festival. More than 2,000 visitors attended last year's program and Dhugga expects at least that many Saturday for the encore presentation of entertainment, education and enlightening activities at the fairgrounds.

Vandals have left a pig's head on a war memorial in Coventry commemorating thousands of Sikhs who died for their country. [VIDEO]

Last week, a Sikh American family in Albuquerque, New Mexico awoke to find their vehicle had been defaced in an act of racist vandalism.

Mr. and Mrs. Singh, who have asked to maintain their anonymity, awoke in the morning to find their car vandalized with an extremely offensive picture of male genitalia and the statement, “(explicative removed) Alah!”

Additionally, in a phone conversation with SALDEF, the family feels they have been victim to at least two previous bias crimes. Both of the previous incidents involved a single white male between the age of 20 and 30 shouting at the couple and in one case involved an alleged physical attack with the man throwing stones at Mr. Singh.

A formal complaint has been filed with the Albuquerque Police Department; however, the investigation is still ongoing. SALDEF has engaged in direct communication with these authorities to ensure that there is an increase in patrols in the area and that the hate crime investigation continues. [SALDEF Advisory]

When vandals attacked Montreal's École Les

Jeunes Musulmans Canadiens last year, it took thousands of dollars to replace the school's shattered windows and months of counselling to help its traumatized students.

But no amount of money and no amount of counselling could completely erase the nagging worry that it could happen again or the knowledge that under Canada's Criminal Code, the hate-based attack on their Muslim school carries no more penalty than spray painting initials on a wall.

That's why Nabiha El-Wafai is among those who supports legislation tabled by Bloc Québécois MP Carole Freeman that would amend the code to prohibit hate-based vandalism against all buildings used by religious, ethnic and sexual minority groups,

"I think a bill like that could be perfect," El-Wafai, head of the school's primary sector, said in a telephone interview. "If there is a law that would protect places like schools, it could make people who think of committing such acts back up before doing it."

El-Wafai said adopting the bill would send an important message to communities like hers that the Canadian government cares about their welfare.

She's not alone.

Yesterday, members of all three opposition parties teamed up with representatives of a variety of religious and ethnic groups to show support for Freeman's bill, which is scheduled to begin debate tomorrow.

Bloc officials said yesterday that if all goes well, the bill should make it through committee and a final vote by the House of Commons by May or June. [Link]

For weeks the Islamic Center in West Springfield has been cleaning up broken glass and listening to threatening phone calls. On Thursday night, the interfaith community came together to show their solidarity.

Mohammad Saleem Bajwa, President of Islamic Society, says "{The Islamic community} has a strong fear that something is going to happen. We don't feel safe when we're in our congregational prayer."

That's because someone broke windows, smashed doors and left threatening phone calls. Calls like this one: "You must denounce the violence that your people are perpetrating against citizens of the free world or there will be hell to pay, my friends. It's time to make peace."

The vandalism started March 21st and every few days something new has happened.

Bajwa says, "If adverse things happen oversees or any bad news automatically there are some people who are uneducated and ignorant. They connect us with that." [Link]

An investigation is underway into the January 27 bombing of the Blaine Dairy Store. It appears the crime was racially-motivated. The owner of the store is Muslim.

On January 27, 2008, three men entered the Blaine Dairy Store at closing time. Without provocation, they began to ignite and launch petrol bombs.

The owner, Mohammad Ismail, narrowly escaped with his life. The store burst into flames. Racial obscenities were spray-painted at the scene of the crime.

Family and friends of Mohammad Ismail are offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the Blaine Police Department at 763-785-6168. [Link]

It’s been seven years since a fire in the Oswego county town of Palermo and people are still feeling the effects. A Sikh Temple was burned down just months after nine-eleven. Teenagers set fire to it, thinking it was a muslin temple. The community banded together and re-built the temple.

The mood here today is a far cry from the sadness worshippers felt when their temple was burned down just months after 9-11. Arsonists wrongly thought the temple was connected with the terrorist attacks.

“There are many different cultures and many different religions that wear turbans. And I think just the image kind of like confused people,” said Sikh follower Amarpol Kanwal.

While there may be similarities in their dress, they are in no way connected to 9-11 or Muslim extremists.

“We immediately went public with the message of forgiveness. We wanted to dispel the feeling of darkness and relativity,” said president of temple Ralph Singh.

The scripture is some 150 to 200 years old. It’s hand-written the scripture that was saved in the fire of the old temple that's here in the new temple. It has not been unveiled. That will happen later on tonight. It stands for a message of peace.

“This is a sacred place out in what people may think is nowhere and yet that light does draw people,” said president of temple Ralph Singh.

That message has been passed down from generation to generation making its way from India to Palermo.

From the ashes of their original temple the Sikh can now continue moving forward hoping that religious tolerance follows. Because their sacred texts were spared by the fire they took on more meaning. The Sikh followers say that it was a sign. To forgive the arsonists and re-build. [Link]

Neighbors in the tidy, middle-class Southampton neighborhood in south St. Louis said yesterday they barely noticed the comings and goings of one of their enclave’s newest arrivals.

Nothing out of the ordinary anyway, aside from a steady stream of Iraqi cab drivers and other workers, and women and children, arriving for evening prayer services at the Islamic mosque.

The Islamic religious and community center, housed in a nondescript storefront building, was vandalized over the weekend. It was the second such incident since the Imam Hussin Foundation building opened last April.

"If someone is trying to send us a message" with this act, "we receive it," said Salah Ajmi, the mosque’s imam and a businessman. "But we do everything right and legal. This is wrong."

Vandals damaged seven large glass windows with a blunt object sometime between midnight and 10:30 a.m. Sunday, police said. Vandals struck the first time last summer, and Ajmi said he suspected teenagers. This time the damage was more extensive.

Police took fingerprints and are investigating. They wouldn’t say whether they consider it a hate crime. The FBI declined comment. [Link]

A Sikh holy man and spiritual leader from India will be in upstate New York on Saturday for the rededication of the Gobind Sadan USA temple.

The Oswego County temple was burned to the ground in 2001 by four teens who believed it was called "Go-Bin-Laden."

Giani Iqbal Singh ji, leader of one of the five traditional sects of Sikhism, will arrive from India to help dedicate the rebuilt temple, located in the Oswego County village of Palermo, about 35 miles north of Syracuse.

Local leaders say this is the first time a so-called Jethadar has traveled outside of India to dedicate a Sikh temple anywhere in the world.

With 25 million members, including 200,000 in the United States, Sikhism is one of the world's largest religions. [Link]

The FBI is investigating the possibility that arson at a Blaine convenience store was a hate crime.

On Jan. 22, Muhammad Ismail was getting ready to close the Blaine Dairy Store when three men came in and threw bottles that burst into flames. Investigators also found the word "Arab" spray-painted on the building. [Link]

An expletive directed to an "Arab" had been spray-painted on the building.

Police have determined that arsonists were behind a fire that destroyed a longtime convenience store in Blaine last month. Now they are looking into whether the fire at the Blaine Dairy should be classified as a hate crime.

"We have evidence that indicates that it's possible that is the case," Capt. Kerry Fenner of the Blaine police said Friday.

On Jan. 27, three men carrying a paper bag and glass bottles entered the store at 385 109th Av. NE. around 8:30 p.m. The suspects then lit the bottles and threw them inside the store. An expletive directed to an "Arab" was found spray-painted on the west wall of the building, a police report said.

The store's owner, who police believe is Muslim or of Arab descent, suffered minor burns and had cuts on his arms, police said.

The fire severely damaged the store, which has been "a fixture in the community for quite a long time," Fenner said. It's likely the store, which has sold dairy products and household items since the 1960s, is a total loss and might have to be torn down.

No arrests have been made.[Link]

The burned-out home, blanketed with ash and lacking a roof, was intended for the new leader, or imam, of the Dalton Islamic Center. Nearby on the same property, workers have been laying the foundation for a new mosque.

On Christmas, a fire at 1:15 a.m. destroyed the unoccupied home. The fire department is investigating the "suspicious" blaze that gutted a home not even hooked up to electricity.

At the same time, the Whitfield County Sheriff's Department is investigating graffiti in the same house they believe was painted on the walls during the summer, officials said.

The graffiti was obscene and included the phrase "don't come in here," but it didn't refer to Muslims specifically.

"At this time, it's not being considered a hate crime," said sheriff's Maj. John Gibson. He added, "I'm sure that the ... victims of this crime feel that it is (a hate crime)."

Hammad El-Ameen, president of the Islamic Center, said he feels that Muslims are being targeted.

"When somebody burned our house down ... they're sending a message that they don't want us in the community," he said Wednesday.

The Islamic Center sought permission from the county in May 2005 to build a new mosque. At the time, this newspaper reported some residents opposed to the site said during a public hearing that the center was building a "terrorist hideout." [Link]

Is it a random act of violence or is the Islamic community in Dalton the target of a hate crime?

That's what investigators are trying to figure out after a fire destroys part of what will become a new place of worship for Muslims.

Early Christmas morning fire tears through a three-bedroom house that's on the Dug Gap Road site where the new Dalton Islamic Center is being built.

Hammad El-Ameen, President of the Dalton Islamic Center, said "it's devastating because it's a security factor, we're concerned for our families, our children. So we want to set a precedent right now and find out and prosecute who did this."

Whitfield County Fire Chief Carl Collins says the fire damage is concentrated inside what was the attic and spread from a back bedroom to the rest of the $100,000 building.

Even though Chief Collins says he has his suspicions this fire was deliberately set he says his investigators still haven't found any evidence, right now at least, that an accelerant was used, like gasoline or kerosene.

"We're still looking into some different things. It is suspicious in the fact there was no power on it," Chief Collins said.

So, who would do this? There is graffiti inside - could this be the work of local gangs? Or could this be the dirty-work of someone who doesn't want Muslim worship in their neighborhood? [Link]

The Hatata’s met in Egypt and were married; then they bought Crossroads Oasis Marathon in Hustonville, the only gas station food mart for miles.

In past several weeks, the Hatata’s say vandals have been breaking in and stealing merchandise.

Lydia Rhonda Bryant Hatata suspects a hate crime is the motive behind numerous thefts, burglaries and damage. And those she once trusted, she now suspects.

“Employees letting relatives bag up items and walk out the door,” says Lydia Bryant Hatata.

Police haven't made any arrests, but they don't suspect a hate crime. They think many of these instances have been caused by simply disgruntled employees.

However, Lydia Hatata thinks it's hate based purely on what a former worker said while walking out the door. “The first employee that chose to leave called my husband a blank, blank, blanking Muslim and she walked out,” she says.

Police say they've recommended extra security measures and the Hatata’s say when they reopen, they'll have improved lighting and cameras. [Link]

The last of four men prosecuted for burglarizing a Naperville Islamic center pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to 21 days in DuPage County Jail.

Mark Domingo, 19, also received 3 years of probation and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for the July 21, 2006, burglary of the Islamic Center of Naperville.

Domingo, of Naperville, is the fourth and final co-defendant in the crime to plead guilty, said DuPage Assistant State's Atty. David Imielski. He said that after about 10 break-ins during the summer of 2006, police installed a camera in the center at 450 Olesen Drive.

The burglars were viewed by police on camera. Two were arrested at the scene and two after a short car chase.

Police said the motive was robbery, not a hate crime based on religion. The four defendants believed there was always a small amount of cash in the center, police said. [Link]