A suspicious fire broke out in the Muslim Cultural Centre in Sept-Iles broke out on Friday night.
The Surete du Quebec said that while investigators believe the fire may have been criminal, it’s too early to say for sure. No arrests have yet been made.
Nobody was inside the centre when the flames broke out. President Ben Rouine said the building sustained damage but it was limited by the prompt arrival of firefighters.
In October, the then-under construction centre was vandalized after an intoxicated man broke in. According to Rouine, this incident is the fourth or fifth time the centre has been targeted.
He said the person responsible for the fire seemed “determined” to destroy the building, which has not yet opened due to the lack of a permit.
However, Rouine said he is not yet ready to claim the attacks are due to Islamophobia.
“I always work to calm tensions, but we must ask (the person responsible) as soon as he’s found,” said Rouine. “I can’t put everyone in the same basket, but some people are unfortunately ignorant.”
