PART VI
THE ISLAMIC COMMUNITY/1990'S
CHAPTER 15
Fire and Discrimination
On March 30, 1990, during the month of Ramadan, a fire destroyed the Islamic Center of New England, although the concrete exterior remained intact. Damage was estimated at more than $500,000. Investigators of the fire have never determined whether or not it was the work of an arsonist. Insurance money was used to cover the cost of repairing the Center. An outpouring of sympathy and financial assistance came from the surrounding communities, both Muslim and non-Muslim.
One year later, the leadership of the Center became interested in purchasing a 7.5 acre lot and large mansion in Milton, Ma. The intention was to build a prayer room and social hall which could each accommodate 1000 people, and to use the land to build a school, a camp for the youth, and so on. Negotiations, however, fell through in July, 1991, and the Center turned its search for a large expansion site to other areas on the South Shore.
It should be noted that reception to the fast-growing Muslim community moving to the city of Milton was not all together favorable. A few Milton residents of the prestigious neighborhood who came out against the Center made themselves an easy target for allegations that prejudice and discrimination drove their resistance. In their own defense, they claimed concerns over an increase in traffic. The Center filed a suit to sue those involved, based on religious and country of origin discrimination. Recently, the leadership decided not to pursue it. In the last reports (November, 1991), the land was bought by the Milton neighbors.
As of December 24, 1991, the general body membership approved the Board's purchase of 55 acres of farmland in Sharon, MA, at a cost of $1.15 million.