A threat forced a south Minneapolis mosque to cancel most programming this past weekend, and has leaders working to enhance security measures.
Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center was threatened on social media on the evening of Friday, December 13, according to Mohamed Ali, the mosque’s executive director.
The Minneapolis Police Department arrived at the mosque that night and alerted them to a threatening post on TikTok, Mohamed said. The mosque remained open for prayers, but cancelled all other instructional classes and community events for the weekend. A message about the threat went out to hundreds of mosque attendees.
“There is going to be trauma,” Mohamed said Tuesday, adding that a threat makes many Muslims think of the Christchurch massacre of 2019, when a shooter killed 51 worshippers at Friday prayers at two mosques in New Zealand.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara met with mosque members on Saturday, and extra police patrols were deployed in the area. The police told the mosque they believed it was safe to resume normal activities late Sunday, Mohamed said.
The police’s threat assessment team investigated and determined the threat was not credible, said police spokesman Sergeant Garrett Parten.
Neither police nor mosque officials shared the specific nature of the threat.
Abubakar As-Saddique is one of the largest mosques in Minnesota, and serves as a community center for people in the area, according to Imam Mowlid Ali. Regular attendees come to pray multiple times a day, and youth spend hours in classes and activities on the property.
Non-Muslim neighbors visit the mosque during Ramadan and students learning about world religions regularly come to learn about Islam, Mowlid said. The mosque is also connected to a school, Aim Academy of Science and Technology.
“It has to be safe,” Mowlid said.
Security concerns
Mohamed said that police told mosque leaders they learned about the threat from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI did not respond to a call seeking comment Tuesday.
“They did a good job,” Mohamed said of the police.
Security concerns have remained constant at mosques across Minnesota in recent years. In 2023, a spree of vandalism and arson attacks hit several mosques in Minneapolis and St. Paul, prompting calls from faith leaders and state authorities for increased security measures.
Abubakar As-Saddique takes security seriously. There are multiple cameras on site, and the mosque hired a private security company to provide protection. Occasionally, the mosque hires off-duty Minneapolis police for additional security. Those costs add up, Mohamed said, and the mosque runs on contributions from members.
“We’re still feeling we need more” security, Mohamed said.
At any given time, there are more than 100 people at the mosque. During Friday afternoon prayers, hundreds gather. Nearly 75 men attended midday prayers Tuesday afternoon.
Members who come in and out of the mosque regularly have access codes to the building. The codes are changed frequently, Mohamed said, but keeping tight security at a place that tries to welcome all is difficult.
Religious institutes and other nonprofit organizations are eligible for federal grants to pay for more security. Last year, 59 locations in Minnesota received a federal grant, including dozens of mosques, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Abubakar As-Siddique did not receive a grant. Last year, at a discussion with state leaders about security, leaders at the Islamic Center said they had unsuccessfully applied twice before. The mosque is in the process of submitting a new application, Mohamed said.
The recent threat isn’t an isolated incident for local houses of worship. This summer, vandals repeatedly broke into and damaged the future site of the Tibyan Center for Quranic Sciences in St. Anthony. Minneapolis police are investigating the defacement of the city’s largest Jewish Synagogue, Temple Israel, that occurred Monday morning. A hooded person with a face covering spray painted swastikas on the temple.
There have been peaks and valleys in security concerns at the mosque in recent decades, Mohamed said. There seemed to be a heightened threat level in 2016 and 2017, early in the first Donald Trump presidency, he said. The Christchurch massacre in New Zealand raised fears of copycat attacks in 2019.
“Now it seems to me it comes back again,” Mohamed said.
Mowlid said he was shocked when informed of the threat. He often works with youth, and was sad they had to make the decision to cancel weekend classes and activities. Mowlid said it’s important that everyone knows the mosque is safe and welcoming.
“It is a place of peace for anyone who comes,” he said.
