Mosque fire could bring hate crime charges for 3

COLUMBIA — Three Columbia men could face federal hate crime charges after  
police say they painted swastikas and phrases such as "white power" on a mosque  
then set it on fire.

Investigators believe the fire at the Islamic Center of Columbia started  
around 5 a.m. Saturday.
Later that night authorities arrested Jonathan Stone,  19, Michael Golden, 
23. and Eric Baker, 32, according to Jim Cavanaugh, special  agent in charge of 
the Nashville office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,  Firearms and 
Explosives. Authorities did not say how they tracked down the  suspects.
"It affects every American and every Muslim when they see a  swastika painted 
on the side of a mosque destroyed by arson," Cavanaugh said  Sunday.

The men are being held in the Maury County Jail and face possible federal  
charges for attacking a house of worship and other federal crimes, he  said.

Shocked by reports of the arson and hate slogans, Pastor Randy Miller chose  
to pray about the matter Sunday morning with his congregation at Trinity  
Lutheran Church in Columbia.
"You think that these walls were broken down a  long time ago," Miller 
explained later, "but they still exist today.
"God  created all of us, so respect for someone else's faith, tradition and 
building  should exist."

The small mosque, located in a former electronics repair shop on Main  
Street, serves as a place of worship for the few Muslim families in Maury  County.
 
"This is a level of hatred our community doesn't need," said the Rev. Pete  
Tackett, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Columbia.
"Certainly Christ  would never have had any part of that. We're praying that 
our community would  not go down that path any further."
 
Islamic leaders in Nashville were also surprised by the arson and  vandalism.
"This is the first hate crime we have observed here in Middle  Tennessee," 
said A.K.M. Fakhruddin, former president of the Islamic Center of  Nashville. He 
said the Islamic Center has had support from the greater Nashville  community 
since the mosque was built in the late 1970s.

An official response to the matter is under advisement by the Council on  
American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group for Muslims that seeks to restore  
a positive and peaceful image of Islam in America, according to Khaled 
Sakalla,  media representative and member of the Islamic Center.
Fakhruddin said the  community must "be educated to live with each other in 
harmony and to respect  each other's religion, values and faith.
"The diversity of all religions made  this a great country. Islam means peace 
and we want to live with peace and  tolerance for each other."

Miller, the Trinity Lutheran pastor, sees the hateful acts as an  opportunity 
for growth.
"It reignites in me a passion for ministry in  Columbia," he said. "Last 
night's news report is an obvious sign of the  struggles of the city. We have to 
take people where they are and walk with  them."
 



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