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Standing against evil

A Catholic priest visits a mosque, the site of an arson, in a show of spiritual support.

By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published April 23, 2007

TAMPA

The Muslim leader and the Catholic priest stood together Sunday amid the ashes of a mosque destroyed by arson.

"This type of act isn't going to frighten us off," said Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Worshippers, he said, have pledged to build a bigger mosque in its place.

The Rev. Canon Francis V. Tiso stood with him near the window where fire officials think the arsonist poured gasoline through before setting the Islamic house of worship ablaze.

"The Catholic church is standing with any house of worship that is being damaged or burned or smeared with graffiti," said Tiso, who helps lead the Catholic bishops' interreligious affairs office in Washington, D.C.

Tiso, who is in Tampa to attend the 39th annual convention of the National Federation of Priests' Councils this week, wanted to see the damage firsthand.

Burned pages of the Koran sprinkled the soot-filled carpet at the men's feet. Damaged ceiling fans hung at eye level, their blades melted downward like wilted flower petals.

"When you see this kind of damage, you know that's an attack at the heart of the community," Tiso said. "It's an attack on something spiritual, which for a priest, is horrifying."

Tiso made visiting the Islamic Education Center of Tampa one of his first stops after arriving Sunday.

The April 12 fire caused $100,000 in damage to the mosque, just outside Town 'N Country. It was uninsured, Bedier said, because it was paid off.

Instead of repairing it, Bedier said worshippers hope to raise enough money to build a bigger mosque there within the next 18 months.

"This is not the America I grew up in," Tiso said, standing among shattered pieces of glass. "We were not taught to throw gasoline on somebody's house of worship."

Priests plan to use the five-day conference in Tampa to discuss challenges they face in America. During a session today, Tiso will help lead a talk on Muslim-Catholic dialogue in the United States. He plans to highlight the arson at the mosque during the discussion.

Meanwhile, the FBI has gotten some leads about the arson, but are still seeking more. Bedier said they can't classify the fire as a hate crime until a suspect is arrested and questioned. A $12,500 reward has been offered to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

"An attack on any house of worship is an attack on all houses of worship," Bedier said. "It's unacceptable."

Before he left, Tiso took a moment to himself to stand near a bookshelf of destroyed Korans, where he bowed his head and prayed.

"I'm not going to forget this," he said.

Fast Facts:

Got a tip? Call FBI

- Anyone with information can call the FBI's tip line at 1-866-838-1153 or Crime Stoppers at 800-873-8477.

- Donations for the mosque can be sent to Islamic Education Center of Tampa, c/o CAIR, 8056 N 56th St., Tampa, FL 33617. Questions? Contact CAIR at (813) 514-1414 or e-mail tampa@cairfl.org.

[Last modified April 23, 2007, 01:16:04]