Truck fire damages mosque exterior in Côte-des-Neiges; cause still unknown

Montreal's Fire Department is investigating after a truck fire damaged the exterior of Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Côte-des-Neiges early Friday morning, July 31.

A 911 call was received just after 2 a.m. reporting a fire in a truck parked between the mosque and another building on De Courtrai Avenue. The fire spread to the mosque's exterior walls, but a thorough inspection found no evidence of the fire spreading inside. There may be some smell of smoke inside the building, fire department spokesperson Annie Vaillancourt said. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains unknown as of Sunday, though an investigation report is expected in a few days. In response, the mosque suspended all activities indefinitely.

The incident is part of a pattern of recent incidents targeting religious communities in Montreal. Early Saturday, Nöam, a kosher restaurant also in Côte-des-Neiges, was destroyed in a fire; an arson investigation is underway. Two weeks earlier, a fake severed hand was thrown at the Verdun Islamic Centre during prayers, prompting Montreal police's hate crime unit to investigate.

The Canadian Muslim Forum posted on Facebook that the fire at Baitul Mukarram Mosque was troubling. "Amid the escalating hate crimes and growing Islamophobia targeting the Canadian Muslim community across country, the recent fire that damaged part of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Montreal has further heightened the fear and anxiety experienced by Muslim Canadians," the group wrote.

Côte-des-Neiges—NDG Mayor Stephanie Valenzuela said on Facebook that the consecutive fires in the borough were concerning. "We are in contact with the authorities as well as leaders of the affected communities and are closely monitoring these situations," she said. "At this time, there is no indication that these incidents are connected."