Mankato officials, police meet with Muslims after mosque scare

MANKATO – City and police officials attempted to reassure members of the Muslim community of Mankato recently after concerns about a suspected arson at a mosque.

“We want to make sure that you’re able to continue to worship and that you feel safe in Mankato,” said Jeremy Clifton, the city’s recently appointed director of public safety, before a gathering of about 40 at the Islamic Center of Mankato on Friday.

Members at the mosque said a man attempted to set a fire in their mosque as part of a “brazen” act on Nov. 10. Police officials, however, said the Islamic Center of Mankato had not faced any threat, and a man was simply lighting firecrackers.

Clifton on Friday said the man who lit firecrackers near the mosque did not have threatening intentions and had apologized.

The public safety director added that he and other city officials will have better communication with leaders in the Muslim community in the future.

The man, who was not identified, has been cited for sale, possession and use of prohibited fireworks, a misdemeanor, the Mankato Department of Public Safety said in a statement last week.

People gathered at the mosque last week for Friday prayers said they felt Mankato police had downplayed their concerns. Abdi Sabrie, a co-founder and board member of the mosque, said many in Mankato’s Muslim community worry about their safety after the reelection of Donald Trump. He said the president-elect’s first term led to an increase in anti-Muslim vandalism attempts in Minnesota.

In 2016, a shirtless man attempted to tear down the Islamic Center’s sign, and in 2021, two vandals spray-painted slurs on a car owned by a member of the mosque.

“We’re not perfect,” Susan Arntz, Mankato city manager, said at the meeting. “The moment we walk out, we will be better than when we walked in.”

On Friday afternoon, Sabrie said he thought it had been a good meeting, and leaders in the Muslim community look forward to working with police in the future.