Was Firebombing Mosque a Hate Crime?

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)–an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding trial–is calling on law enforcement officials to investigate an apparent firebombing of the Islamic Center in Tracy, California using what appears to be a Molotov cocktail as a hate crime.

“The recent spike in hate incidents targeting mosques nationwide is unprecedented and should be of concern to all Americans.” Basim Elkarra, executive director for CAIR’s Sacramento Valley chapter said in a statement after Saturday’s incident, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “We urge law enforcement authorities to investigate this incident as a hate crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Mosque leaders discovered the scene at the building Saturday morning. the Molotov cocktail had been tossed over the gate and landed next to the building’s side door. The fire damage was minimal, reported the Chronicle.

Elkarra recalled the past vandalization of the nearby Manteca Islamic Center, where he said bacon was thrown into the parking lot and the center’s sign was vandalized.

Moreover, nine days after the December 2 terrorist attack by Islamic terrorists Syed Farooq and his accomplice, Pakistan-born wife Tashfeeen Malik in San Bernardino, the Islamic Center of Palm Springs (Masjed an Noor) was firebombed.

A new report from CAIR suggests there have been more than 70 incidents targeting mosques in the past year alone, following a slew of radical Islamic terrorist attacks targeting Western civilization including several Paris attacks.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz and on Facebook.