Hundreds of people have protested last week's anti-Muslim attack on the New Haven Diyanet Mosque in Connecticut, the U.S. They had gathered at an event organized at the Diyanet Center of America (DCA) in Maryland, U.S.
The event condemned the rising anti-Muslim sentiments and xenophobia in and outside the country.
The head of the DCA, Fatih Kanca, the representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Zainab Chaudry and American preacher Yusuf Estes were among the names that attended the event.
The representatives of American Muslim nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and representatives from American Christian and Jewish communities were also present at the event. The speakers emphasized that such attacks cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
The New Haven mosque faced an anti-Muslim attack last week, on the seventh day of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast and pray.
After the attack, the Religious Services Attache at the Turkish Consulate General in New York said an investigation was underway into the fire at the Diyanet Mosque and that efforts are being made to catch the perpetrators.
While a reward of up to $2,500 has been offered by local officials for any information that leads to the arrest or conviction of the perpetrators, the CAIR also set a $10,000 reward for information on the crime.
Following the attack, religious authorities in the U.S. and the administration of the Diyanet Mosque in New Haven have enhanced efforts to repair the mosque as soon as possible in solidarity with the local community.
A fundraising campaign on launchgood.com has raised $150,000 so far. While the damage to the mosque totaled more than $500,000, the priority was to collect $100,000 during the first phase of the donation campaign until the official investigation is completed.
