Federal, state, and local investigators announced last night they have been unable to determine the cause of a suspicious fire that destroyed a southwestern Missouri mosque that was a previous arson target. Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Missouri Division of Fire Safety, and Jasper County Sheriff's Department had been in the city of Joplin since the fire at the Islamic Society of Joplin on August 6. Nobody was hurt in the fire, but the building that served as a mosque for about 50 families was destroyed. Investigators said in a joint statement that the official cause of the fire is “undetermined," thought the investigation remains open and the finding could change if new information emerges. Another fire at the Joplin mosque on July 4 was determined to be arson when surveillance video captured a man setting fire to the building's roof. No arrest has been made in the incident. Faizan Syed, the director of the Saint Louis, Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the undetermined cause was frustrating for Muslims in Joplin and elsewhere. “Most of the frustration has to do with the fact that it has been attacked many times before, and every time there hasn't been much response by police to keep the building safe," he said. Joplin residents have worried that the destruction of the mosque makes their city appear religiously intolerant, and many have rallied to support the city's Muslim community. Since the second fire, an online fundraising effort has generated more than $400,000 to rebuild the center in Joplin, far exceeding the $250,000 goal.
