Arson at the Islamic Center of Corvallis and the Outpouring of Community Support for Peace and Tolerance
Four leaders of the Corvallis inter-faith community will discuss events leading up to and after the arson attack. Participants are:
Mohamed Siala, director of the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center; Rabbi Benjamin Barnett of Beit Am Jewish Community Center; Rev. Elizabeth Oettinger, pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ, and Laurie Childers of the Corvallis Friends Meeting.
A fire early on the morning of November 28th at the Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center was declared arson by the Corvallis Police Department. The fire - which was caused by a bottle filled with fuel and tossed through a window—caused no injuries but charred black the walls of the Islamic center's office. The Center was the Mosque attended by Mohamed Osman Mohamud, who just days before the arson was arrested for allegedly attempting to detonate a van filled with dummy explosives at the Christmas tree lighting in Portland's Pioneer Square. Following the fire the community of Corvallis came together to express outrage at the fire-bombing and to promote peace and religious, ethnic and cultural tolerance.