South Africa’s controversial first gay-friendly
mosque, which also allows Christian worshippers
and women to lead prayers, was damaged by a fire
overnight, its founder and the police said Saturday.
Police have opened an arson inquiry into the fire
which occurred shortly after midnight and damaged
the front door of the mosque in Cape Town.
There were no injuries and no arrests have yet been
made.
“This a deliberate arson attack,” the founder,
Muslim academic Taj Hargey told AFP.
“They used petrol and oil,” he said adding close
circuit television video footage showed that
unidentified people had made several
reconnaissance trips to the mosque two hours
before the attack.
Andre Traut, police spokesman for the city, said
they “are investigating the circumstances
surrounding the fire”.
The mosque, which welcomes gay people,
Christians, and treats men and women equally,
opened peacefully in Cape Town last month amid
opposition and threats of violence.
Just days after it opened, municipal officials said the
mosque could be closed down unless it abides by
municipal laws.
Hargey said Saturday that he has already complied
with the requirements and the mosque has been
operating.
He blamed his opponents for the attack which
occurred on the eve of the celebration of the
Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.
“Instead of preparing for the holy day these people
were preparing to destroy the house of God … it’s
very sad, disrespectful,” he said.
But Hargey remains defiant.
“They cannot shut us down, they can try whatever
they want,” he said. “They have tried verbal
intimidation, threats and now arson, this should be
the last.”
“Our opponents should know that they don’t have a
copyright on Islam.”
Hargey has described his mosque as a “religious
revolution” following on from the political
revolution led by late former president Nelson
Mandela when democracy replaced apartheid rule
in South Africa in 1994.
There are around 737,000 Muslims in South Africa,
about 1.5 percent of the population, according to
figures from the Pew Research Centre. www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/arsonists-set-south-africas-first-gay-friendly-mosque-fire/

#in jim carrey's voice #
AAAAaaaaaaaaaalllllllriggghty then. ,,, NXT please

[size=15pt][/
why would you burn another man place of worship?
thats Gay [/size]

o wait they actually burnt a gay mosque, hmm
gay mosque destroyed by a gay act.

this is all fvckking GAY

stalemate.