Mosques in Joplin and Springfield, Mo., suffered burnings since the spring of 2012. The most recent incident includes a suspicious fire that completely destroyed the Joplin Islamic Society's building north of Joplin. Officials told the Joplin Globe they cannot conclusively say arson led to the loss of the building, but at this point the ATF and FBI are investigating the fire as suspicious.
* A passerby reported flames coming from the Islamic Society of Joplin building around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. By 8 a.m., fire crews from Carl Junction were leaving the scene. The entire structure burned to the ground.
* No one was hurt as worshippers celebrate the month of Ramadan. The mosque in Joplin serves around 50 families in the area. The last people to leave the building departed around 11:20 p.m. Sunday. Worshippers returned around 5 a.m. the next day to see their holy place gutted by fire.
* Someone attempted to burn the mosque back on July 4. The FBI released a video image of the man believed to be involved in the first arson attempt. A $15,000 reward has been offered by the Justice Department for information.
* A group of worshippers prayed on the lawn the night after the fire engulfed the mosque. The Associated Press reports Muslims will continue to celebrate their holy month despite the fire.
* Thirty people have been assigned by the FBI to investigate the most recent fire out of the agency's Kansas City office. A box containing surveillance video was damaged in the fire, but it is too early in the investigation to determine if cameras caught any possible perpetrators in the act of burning the mosque.
* The FBI stated the fire in Joplin will "be investigated to the fullest extent possible." The agency will get help from the ATF and Jasper County officials.
* The Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering an additional $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of an alleged arsonist. The Associated Press reports the civil rights group also asked for added security measures at mosques and Sikh places of worship.
* The Interfaith Coalition on Mosques (ICOM) called for a comprehensive investigation into the mosque fire in Joplin. The move comes in lieu of the previous incident on July 4 and the recent murder of six Sikhs in Wisconsin.
* Two large donations were made to Joplin residents after the devastating tornado of May 22, 2011, by the United Arab Emirates. The Associated Press reports the country donated $5 million to help rebuild Mercy Hospital in Joplin. The Arab nation also gave $1 million in challenge grants to buy laptop computers for every student at Joplin High School.
* The fire at the Islamic Center of Joplin is the second incendiary incident at a mosque in southwest Missouri within two years. According to the Springfield News-Leader, three charred copies of the Quran were found outside the Islamic Center of Springfield in April 2011. The FBI finally had "positive" leads in the case in late June.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
