Islamic school set on fire
Posted on Monday, September 25 @ 13:19:25 EDT by SweenyTod
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Ramadan got off to a rough start for a west-end Islamic school yesterday morning after an arsonist set it ablaze.
Firefighters responded to a fire at Abraar School, located at 1085 Grenon Ave., at about 3 a.m. yesterday.
The fire began at the southwest exterior of the building and made
its way to the roof before being extinguished. No injuries were
reported and damage was pegged at around $100,000.
The blaze, which police confirmed as an arson, coincides with the first day of Ramadan.
Police were using an arson dog to sift through the rubble which lay
in front of a gaping hole in the wall of the school. Part of the roof
was destroyed and bricks were missing from the wall. About 20 feet from
the destruction, plastic slides and other toys were overturned in a
fenced-in play area. There was no graffiti or other indications that
the crime was race related.
"At this time, we haven't got any evidence pointing towards a hate
crime," said Det. Will Hinterberger with the Ottawa Police Hate Crime
Unit which is no longer part of the investigation.
But Abdala Kheireddine, chairman of the school board, disagrees.
"As far a we're concerned, it's still under investigation (as a
hate crime)," he said, adding the school plans to reopen tomorrow.
Dr. Aisha Sherazi taught at Abraar School for two years and served as principal for another three before leaving last year.
"In my time (at the school), neighbourhood kids would disturb some
of the playground toys and things like that but never anything of this
magnitude," she said.
The school houses 260 students ranging from kindergarten to Grade 8.
Shafiq Mirza, a member of the Ottawa Muslim Community Circle, offered his condolences to those affected.
"I'm sorry to hear about (the fire)," he said. "A school is a school, no matter what its background is."
This is not the first time Abraar School has been in the news. On
March 30, 2005, the school launched an internal investigation into the
actions of two teachers who allegedly praised a young student for an
anti-semitic story he wrote.
Read the full story here.
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