Posted on 07/25/2005 5:30:59 PM PDT by 4.1O dana super trac pak
PATERSON - It was to be a Muslim youth center, a place for people to meet and mingle, but after a fire ravaged the building Sunday, it was nothing more than a toppled pile of charred bricks.
A fast-moving blaze broke out around 4 p.m. and within 30 minutes had destroyed the historic warehouse at West Railway and Genessee avenues. The outer walls did not buckle under pressure, but everything inside succumbed. Three stories collapsed into one, and the wooden interiors fed the fire's fury even more.
The Islamic Center of Passaic County purchased the abandoned warehouse in June 2003 for $1.25 million - money raised entirely from local donations. Community members wanted to build a place for their children to spend time after school and on weekends.
Tucked away inside South Paterson, across the street from the city's outdoor produce market, the youth center would have been in the heart of North Jersey's Muslim community. Nearly 25,000 Muslims live in a four-mile radius.
But since there was nothing inside the building, and no utilities hooked up, some were left wondering if this was arson. The building's windows were nailed shut with boards, and the doors locked. A wooden 8-foot-tall fence used to hug the perimeter.
"It's very suspicious," said Sohail Mohammed, a community member. "Things are pointing in that direction. I hope not, but I'm afraid that it is."
Others on the scene said this could be a backlash because of deadly bombings in London this month, believed to be set off by Islamic extremists. Many said they would reserve judgment until an investigation was concluded.
Crews from Paterson, Clifton, and other surrounding towns got the fire under control. No one was injured. Arson specialists from the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and Paterson Police Department were examining the scene Sunday evening.
"The fire was very fast and intense," said Paterson Councilman Aslon Goow, a member of the public safety committee. "Within five minutes everything caved in. It burned entirely from one end to the other."
Members of the Islamic Center of Passaic County planned to meet Sunday night and discuss the next steps: clearing debris and moving forward.
"It's a tragic day," said Nabil Abbassi, head of the development committee. "But we are resolved to continue in this project."
LMAO...
That just about sums up what I thought I'd see on this thread.
I thought this would get ugly quick.
I'm no detective, but that smells like accelerant.
Still, five minutes is slow compared to the work of their jihadi soulmates.
Imagine the surprise of a bomber's victim as their body disintegrates in milliseconds...
In my best Jerry Seinfeld voice: "Now, that's a shame".
Islamic lightning bolt must have struck. We see -----(name your cult) lightning all the time around here.
"It was to be a Muslim youth center, a place for people to meet and mingle,"
And to prepare them for Jihad, but it aint no more.
Were they stockpiling dangerous materials inside, perchance?
"Allah FUBAR!"
I know the what allah akbar means, but what does allah fubar mean?
I bet they had a bad electrical system...those shorts 'll kill ya.
They couldnt afford to hook up the lectricity. SCAM!!!
and plan murder and mayhem,good riddance
I think it means "Allah [messed] you up."
But where was Bush?
Steelton's mayor says the fire could've been caused by a fuel spill. He says the Islamic Center hasn't been inspected in about five years, because of difficulties getting inside."
Hmmm...another "fundraiser"?
Thanks.
May I plagiarize it and use it myself?
"The fire was very fast and intense," said Paterson Councilman Aslon Goow, a member of the public safety committee. "Within five minutes everything caved in. It burned entirely from one end to the other."
That is what happens to heart pine floors,beams and columns
that have been soaked in oil for 50 years.
Consider a building made from pine rosin and you get the
idea.
It could have certainly been torched, but by WHOM?
Get that crap. The place was supposed to be a muslim youth center. Just what we need a place where future homicide bombers can be recruited and trained.
Forget Bush, where was Karl Rove??
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