Online donations have raised $450,000 in just 22 hours in aid of an American mosque that was destroyed in a blaze on Friday.
A Gofundme page was set up for the Victoria Islamic Center in Texas after it was gutted by fire in an incident that is still under investigation.
“Our mosque was totally destroyed by fire,” the page’s description reads. “We need your financial support to help us rebuild a beautiful place of worship.”
Thousands have already donated only a day after the campaign was launched, many of them leaving messages of support and offers of assistance to the mosque.
Martin Wagner wrote: “I'm an atheist and I am deeply saddened and disgusted by what was done to you. Religious freedom and freedom from persecution are fundamental rights!”
Jessica Judd commented: “I am sorry you have to rebuild and that our current cultural dialogue empowers hateful people to do violent things.”
It is not yet clear whether the fire was started deliberately or was the result of an accident. The Center’s Facebook page posted the following on Saturday:
It would not be unsurprising if the investigation found the destruction to be the result of arson. Islamophobic attacks have increased considerably in America following the election of Donald Trump, a man who has previously suggested that “Islam hates us”.
The fire came just as President Trump was signing an executive order suspending visas to the US for citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations, an action which has been widely condemned as discriminatory.
However, the outpouring of support for the mosque has shown once again that many Americans intend to resist Islamophobia and hatred. Following the inferno, the Center's management posted the following:
RA
