Muslim leaders will meet to discuss if an Auckland mosque at the centre of allegations of extremist Islamic teaching should remain permanently closed following a suspicious fire.
Six fire trucks were sent to the Avondale Islamic Centre on Blockhouse Bay Rd in West Auckland early on Sunday morning after fire broke out in a storage area of the mosque.
Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Newman from Glen Innes CIB said yesterday police believed the fire "did not start accidentally".
Dr Anwar Ghani, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations, said an urgent meeting had been called for this weekend to discuss if it was safe to reopen the mosque.
Two Islamic factions have been embroiled in a battle of control at the mosque for the last three years.
Earlier this year, the centre's former imam, Sheikh Abu Abdulla, was banned from the mosque after allegedly teaching an extreme form of the Islamic faith.
Mr Abdulla, who denied teaching extreme Islam, said yesterday neither he nor his supporters had anything to do with the fire.
"Never ever ... I have no relations to this subject," said Mr Abdulla.
The New Zealand Muslim Association, which owns the property, closed the centre in May because of safety concerns.
The association said members and worshippers had been assaulted, threatened and their cars damaged.
In May, centre administrator Haider Lone was brutally beaten and suffered fractures and eye injuries.
Mr Lone said he was shocked someone had deliberately set fire to the mosque. "I cannot believe anyone would set fire to a holy and religious place."
Police had taken samples from the site for testing, but yesterday would not comment on what they were.
By Lincoln Tan of the NZ Herald
