Minnesota Muslim leaders strengthen mosque security and urge voters to turn out

Muslim leaders in Minnesota are strengthening mosque security and urging their communities to vote as Election Day approaches, MPR News reported November 2. The report describes cameras, protective windows, security guards and training sessions led by police to help mosque communities respond to threats, alongside concern that fear could keep people away from worship or the polls.

Imam Abdulahi Farah of Dar Al-Farooq Mosque in Bloomington said the mosque had received threats this year. Three far-right attackers firebombed his office in 2017; no one was injured. Imam Hudhayfa Suhail of Lakeville Masjid said his mosque had not reported any major hate-crime incidents, but he remained cautious and was seeking more security measures.

The FBI has recorded 12 anti-Islamic hate-crime incidents in Minnesota so far this year, including two at mosques, according to MPR. A separate, broader category of self-reported incidents counted by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) totaled 693 complaints in 2025, compared with 353 in 2024. The report distinguishes those complaints from crimes meeting the legal definition of a hate crime.

Jawad Islam, a leader at the Muslim American Society Blaine Masjid, said it had received no recent threats. He described cameras, bulletproof windows and police managing Friday-prayer traffic. His concern was that fear and propaganda could discourage Muslims from voting: "Every vote matters. Your voice matters."