Ohio mosque reopens after hate attack

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio reopens this week, months after it was forced to close following a hate attack.

The Muslim community in Columbus, Ohio, plans to celebrate the re-opening Saturday with an open house.

"The re-opening ceremony of the Islamic Center has an important meaning for people of all faiths. It sends the message that Muslims are an integral part of our community and that the attack on their mosque was an attack on everyone in our state," said Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of the Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"We are very proud of our center. It has been an icon of the social and religious fabric of Columbus for many years and it is here to stay," said Islamic center's President M. Nabih Tarazi. "We are not going to allow the bigoted acts of tiny minority to create an atmosphere of apprehension and fear in the American Muslim community," he added.

Last year, vandals caused extensive damage to all three floors of the center. Copies of religious books were shredded and water pipes were ripped out of walls.

The attack was not the first against Ohio religious institutions.

Immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Greater Cleveland Islamic Center was attacked by a drunken driver who smashed his car through a wall, knocked over three pillars, and landed atop a built-in fountain in the mosque rotunda.

The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo was targeted by a drive by shooting.

There are an estimated 30,000 Muslims in central Ohio, 130,000 in Ohio and 7 million in America.