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Minnesota mosque bombing: $100,000 raised for Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Centre restoration

'Good people came out, and they outnumber that one bad guy'

Samuel Osborne
Thursday 10 August 2017 12:08 BST
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The explosion at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Centre in Bloomington caused extensive damages to the imam's office
The explosion at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Centre in Bloomington caused extensive damages to the imam's office (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

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More than $10,000 (£7,700) has been raised for a mosque in Minnesota after it was firebombed in what the mayor called "an act of terrorism."

Donald Trump and the White House have so far remained silent about the bombing, despite Muslim leaders urging him to condemn it as a terrorist attack.

The explosion at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Centre in Bloomington happened on Saturday morning just before morning prayers and caused extensive damages to the imam's office, but did not injure anyone.

The FBI said it was an "improved explosive device."

White House defends silence on mosque bombing, says it might have been faked by liberals

A GoFundMe crowdfunding page raised more than $87,000 (£67,000), while a LaunchGood page raised more than $21,000 (£16,000).

Well-wishers have also left flowers outside the mosque.

Mohamed Omar, the mosque's director, said his community is grateful for the support it has received from the public.

While the bombing was "horrific and tragic," Mr Omar said, "on the other hand, good people came out, and they outnumber that one bad guy, and we are so pleased and so happy to see this community coming together in our support."

Governor Mark Dayton visited the mosque on Sunday and called the bombing a "wretched" terrorist act. Islamic leaders in Minnesota and nationwide have said they are waiting for the president to say something similar.

But Mr Trump's adviser, Sebastian Gorka, said the White House would withhold comment until the investigation is complete, suggesting it may have been a hoax orchestrated "by the left."

The mosque opened in 2011 at the site of a former elementary school and serves people primarily from the area's large Somali community.

Minnesota has the largest Somali community in the US, roughly 57,000 people, according to the latest census figures.

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