GADSDEN, Ala. — The FBI and local police are investigating an attempted arson at a Gadsden mosque, where a masked person threw an incendiary device at the entrance Wednesday night, prompting Muslim community leaders to call for condemnation from Alabama politicians after an election season marked by anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Nearby community members extinguished the flames at the Gadsden Islamic Society before they spread inside, and no injuries were reported, according to the mosque and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Police said a rug outside the building at 108 S. Ninth St. burned.
Authorities had not publicly identified a suspect, announced an arrest or disclosed a motive in the latest reports available Saturday morning. Investigators have not publicly established a connection between the fire and political rhetoric.
The FBI’s Birmingham Field Office said an incendiary device was used at the mosque’s entrance Nov. 11 and that it was investigating with the Gadsden Police Department. Surveillance footage shows a person approaching the entrance and throwing an object, followed by flames and smoke, according to local reporting and CAIR.
CAIR’s Alabama chapter announced Friday a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The organization urged authorities to investigate the incident as a potential hate crime.
“We also commend our community members for their vigilance and courage; by quickly putting out this fire, they prevented far more serious damage,” the Gadsden Islamic Society said in a statement released through CAIR.
The mosque called on Alabama’s political leaders, including Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, identified in its statement as governor-elect, to condemn the attack and defend religious freedom.
“This arson attack on the Gadsden Islamic Society is an attack on not only the Alabama Muslim community, but every person’s constitutional right to practice their faith in peace,” the society said.
The fire followed a campaign season in which attacks on Islam and Muslims became increasingly prominent in Republican messaging, both in Alabama and nationally.
Alabama Daily News reported in April that Tuberville’s rhetoric was being echoed by Republican candidates farther down the ballot. In September, NPR documented campaign advertisements nationwide warning about “Radical Islam,” Sharia and alleged Islamic influence.
Tuberville’s own Senate office published a July 15 transcript in which he attacked Islam broadly, rather than limiting his criticism to extremist organizations.
“This is why I say that Islam is not a religion. It’s a death cult,” Tuberville said, according to the transcript. He also called on President Donald Trump to ban the Muslim Brotherhood from the country and prohibit Sharia at the federal level.
Sharia refers to Islamic religious and ethical principles governing matters including prayer and personal conduct. It cannot supersede the U.S. Constitution or American law.
Other Alabama candidates used similar themes during the campaign. Republican attorney general candidate Jay Mitchell released an advertisement saying supporters of “radical Islam” could “Allahu Akbar your butt all the way back to the Middle East,” Alabama Daily News reported. Republican lieutenant governor candidate Wes Allen said he would never visit an Islamic center or mosque while criticizing a rival’s attendance at an interfaith gathering.
Tuberville has defended his position as opposition to Sharia while saying he is willing to speak with Muslims. In an interview reported by Alabama Daily News in April, he said, “I’ll visit and talk with anybody.” He also said he had Muslim friends in Alabama.
In its statement Friday, CAIR criticized Tuberville’s language but explicitly acknowledged that the motive for the mosque fire remained unknown.
“Although we do not yet know the motive for this attack, we do know that anti-Muslim hate rhetoric in politics is out of control,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s national deputy director. “We have repeatedly warned Sen. Tommy Tuberville that he was endangering the Alabama Muslim community by fanning the flames of hate.”
Police said they were reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence with the FBI and federal partners to determine what happened and identify those responsible.