Cambridge, Ont., mosque moves forward, gives back after vandalism
Mosque officials redirected donations to local shelter
Cambridge's Baitul Kareem Mosque is moving forward after it was severely vandalized this summer, turning a negative into a positive, mosque officials say.
In mid-July, the the mosque was broken into. It was ripped apart and left with about $10,000 worth of damage.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service charged a 35-year-old Cambridge man with break and enter, property damage over $5,000, possession of stolen property, among other offences.
Mosque officials say they have since learned that the man charged was allegedly living with a drug addiction and that he was a part of the local shelter system.
And so the mosque decided it would take the hundreds of dollars in donations it had received to fix the damaged to the building, and give the money to the local shelter instead. Members of the community were encouraged to donate there as well.
"We believe that we should be the solution to whatever negativity that we face. So we thought it was best to donate that back to where it belongs the most," said Imam Fatir Ahmad.
"We, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, go by the motto of 'love for all, hatred for none,"" Ahmad said.
Rebuild and repair
The vandalism in July resulted in exterior and interior damage. The kitchen stove and other appliances were wrecked, electronics — including the surveillance system — were stolen and Islamic literature was tossed all over.
But almost three months later, the mosque is shaping up to look like it once did.
"All the clean up is done. It's, you can say, better than before." said Ahmad.
Construction is still underway, but so far damage to the building has been fixed and stolen property has been replaced.
"In the beginning it was a big shock, but looking back to it, you see that there are a lot of positives that have come out and it continues to come out from it," said Nomaan Mubashir, the mosque's president.
"You know, for myself, the outpouring of community support that we received. You know, it tells you my conviction that love is stronger than hate," he added.
Motive questioned at first
"In the beginning, we really didn't know what to make of it," said Mubashir.
"We had no idea how someone could do something like this, so we had questions, obviously. Is it a hate crime, or is it an act of vandalism?"
However, the police investigation concluded there was no proof the incident was a hate crime.
"It was sort of a relief ... I don't think anybody, any community, wants to be a target of a hate crime," said Mubashir.
The mosque officials say even though this incident wasn't motivated by hate, Islamophobia still exists across the country.
To help tackle this, the mosque is hosting its 40th World Religions Conference this weekend on combating racism, amid Islamic Heritage Month.
