“We’re Not Going Away”

Haydar Elevulu stared at the charred exterior of the Middletown Avenue mosque his community had hoped to have rebuilt by September. He felt ​“hurt” that someone might have such hatred against Muslims, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, to have set fire to it.

But Elevulu barely had a moment to dwell on that thought— as New Haveners of all faiths rallied around the congregation with offers of help and (at last count) more than $69,000 in donations to rebuild.

The two-alarm fire badly damaged the Diyanet Mosque at 531 Middletown Ave. Sunday afternoon as the 300-member congregation was in the midst of a long-planned reconstruction project. Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said someone set the fire intentionally.

The fire came at a particularly problematic moment for the congregation: during the month-long celebration of Ramadan, when members would meet at sundown each day to pray and then break the daily daylight fast. For now, they can’t.

Meanwhile, Elevulu’s phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from New Haveners rallying to the congregation’s side in the wake of the blaze, and from well-wishers as far away as France and Germany.

In between the rings of those phone calls Tuesday afternoon, Elevulu, president of the 300-member congregation, thanked two ministers from nearby churches for their offers of help, met a neighbor who hadn’t even known about the congregation, and talked with reporters from across the state about his plans to set up a container and tents as a temporary place of worship.

Online, more than 2,000 donors had already contributed more than $69,000 to help the congregation make repairs.

Throughout New Haven and beyond, people of all faiths have condemned the attack and sought ways to help, from offering spaces to pray to supporting the rebuilding quest.

“This Is My City”

Before he even pulled into his mosque’s parking lot on Sunday morning, Elevulu was already receiving pictures from around the country of the flames and smoke venting from the front vestibule where he worships daily.

The Turkish government helped fund the construction of the Diyanet Mosque for the local Turkish community, as it has with other mosques by the same name across the U.S.

Elevulu, president of the Turkish American Religious Foundation, said that in his 35 years since coming to America from Turkey he hadn’t ever suspected that something like this would happen. But he said the alleged arson hasn’t changed his views at all about where he’d decided to make his home.

“It was one sick person. It has nothing to do with America. This is my city and my state,” Elevulu said.

“We’re not going to be scared and go away. No, we’re here. This is my home. I’m here in the morning, I’m here at night, I’m here all the time. Everybody in the community wants to be here, so we’ll be here and be strong. We’ll be here.”

The two-alarm fire started Sunday morning. Amid the rainfall, firefighters managed to put it out, but the building’s front vestibule suffered heavy damage.

Elevulu said he found out when the imam called him and yelled, ​“Fire!” He rushed over and joined the crowd.

He froze when he saw the fire.

“All the kids were crying like crazy,” he said. ​“At that time, we didn’t know what was causing it. It was too smoky to even see. I started crying. I felt terrible I couldn’t do anything.”

The federal Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms and the Connecticut State Police have joined the New Haven Fire Department in investigating the fire. They’re offering a $2,500 reward. Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to call the arson tip line at 1 – 800-842‑7766.

Elevulu said he couldn’t understand why someone would target the mosque, especially in Connecticut. ​“I cannot believe somebody did this. I can’t. That hurts even more.

“Everybody worships different things, but we all worship God.”

Rev. Morgan Pulls Up

With the smell of acrid smoke still hanging in the air, the Rev. J.P. Morgan, the pastor at Montowese American Baptist Church in North Haven, pulled up into the gravel parking lot. He said he’d been ​“devastated” to hear about the fire.

Elevulu walked with him and pointed out the extent of the damage, from the soaked carpeting inside to the split wood exterior, where the conflagration had burnt through. 

Morgan said his church will turn out with a volunteer crew to help rebuild.

“It’s all about coming together and trying to help mend things,” Morgan said. ​“Because it can start here and then it spirals to everyone. If they can possibly attack and set this mosque on fire, it’s no telling if they could hit one of these Baptist churches later,” like a bomber once did in Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963.

“It’s a matter of standing in solidarity,” he added.

Another minister, Rev. Robin Blundon, the pastor at the Northford Congregational Church, stopped by to ask if there was anything her parishioners could do. She offered food and space.

Elevulu said he’d already received offers from local restaurants; he said he wants to stay at the Middletown Avenue spot. He doesn’t want anyone to feel like they’d been able to chase the congregation away, even if just temporarily.

He told Blundon that he hopes the relationship among mosques, synagogues and churches will continue long after the repairs were finished, that this is just the start of a permanent interfaith relationship.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” Blundon said as she left.

Elevulu said he plans to get in touch with the Building Department about setting up a mobile container on the site.

Mayor Toni Harp vowed to ​“bring all resources to bear” to catch the arsonist.

“Hate has no home in New Haven – this city and its residents have a legacy of inclusiveness and welcome all regardless of their faith, race, or creed,” Harp declared in a statement released by her office. ​“We stand alongside our Muslim brothers and sisters after this reprehensible, violent outburst.”

As night approached on Monday, nearly 60 people showed up at the mosque to pray together before ending their daylong fast. But without a place to eat together, they returned to their homes.

Other neighbors also pulled into the parking lot on Monday afternoon, some of them for the first time. ​“Ramadan Mubarak,” said Marcus, a neighbor, who lives down the street.

Elevulu invited him to come back for Eid, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan.

The congregation encountered some neighborhood opposition when it originally unveiled plans for the mosque.

Since then, ​“they’ve gotten reasonably well with the neighbors,” observed Quinnipiac Meadows Alder Gerald Antunes.

“There’s always someone who may have a different opinion or feeling. But overall, they had a couple of minor issues and they resolved them. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been anything negative. It’s always tough during the building process.”

“One Human Family”

The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut issued the following statement along with a request for people to contribute to the fundraising campaign for the mosque:

The Muslim Coalition of Connecticut strongly condemns the intentional burning of the Diyanet Mosque in New Haven. We stand in support and solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters whose mosque was destroyed by a senseless act of hatred.

We call on all people to stand together to oppose hatred and violence against any group of people. The freedom to worship in a mosque, church, synagogue, or temple must be protected from fear, intimidation, and violent acts. All of us have a stake in this, no matter the faith tradition.

There is never a justification for targeting places of worship. We are one human family, and we must work together to make sure that acts like this do not threaten our efforts to be more tolerant and understanding of all faiths.

“Horrific Act Of Arson”

Leaders of New Haven’s Jewish community released the following statement:

Together, the New Haven Board of Rabbis and Cantors, leaders of religious communities of the Greater New Haven Jewish community, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and its Jewish Community Relations Council, condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific act of arson on the Diyanet Mosque of New Haven. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters at the Diyanet Mosque of New Haven, and the Muslim community at large.

The Jewish community is alarmed by the increasingly violent attacks against places of worship throughout America and the entire world. This afternoon, our Federation stood at the Connecticut State Capitol with the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut (JFACT) and members of other faith communities to call for an additional $5 million in state bonds to fund security infrastructure upgrades at Connecticut’s houses of worship. We understand how it feels to be a target of hate and we stand firmly with the Muslim community.

Our hearts go out to the families and congregation that will not be able to attend the Mosque especially during the holiday of Ramadan.
As people that have suffered from hate, intolerance and violence throughout our history, we will not stay silent watching other places of worship and religious communities attacked. An attack on the Muslim community is an attack on us all.

In the past the Muslim community was there with us to support and comfort us during times of tragedy, and we are here to support the Muslim community now. Let us stand together as we continue to denounce hate and violence in all its forms as we pray for peace, unity and understanding here in New Haven and around the globe.

Jeffrey Hoos
President, Jewish Federation of Greater 
New Haven

Judy Alperin
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven

Betty and Arthur Levy
Co-chairs, Jewish Community Relation Council (JCRC) Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
Eliraz Shifman Berman
JCRC Director, Jewish Federation of Greater
New Haven

Rabbi Rona Shapiro
Congregation B’nai Jacob, Woodbridge
Chair, Board of Rabbis and Cantors

“Hate Is Eating Way The Moral Fabric”

The Muslim American Society issued the following statement on Tuesday:

The Muslim American Society (MAS) and its Connecticut chapter express grave concern about this hateful attack on the Diyanet Mosque in New Haven.

This intentional act of arson, as determined by the Fire Chief, is just another sign of how rhetoric of hate is eating away at the moral fabric of this country. We urge the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement to investigate this matter, and its possible links to terrorist activities, with the utmost urgency and hold those responsible accountable.

This is not the first mosque to be attacked. In fact, other mosques in Connecticut have been threatened with a similar act of hate.

“It is senseless for someone to commit such an act at all, much less during such a special time of year,” said Ayman Hammous, Executive Director of MAS. ​“This type of act, unfortunately, is becoming a pattern when a terrorist or a criminal targets the innocent during their most sacred time.”

We join others throughout the country praying for the peace and safety of the community in New Haven, as well as any other house of worship subject to these acts of hate and terror. The Muslim American Society is a dynamic charitable, religious, social, cultural and educational organization. Its mission is to move people to strive for God consciousness, liberty, and justice, and to convey Islam with utmost clarity.

Paul Bass contributed reporting.