Coachella mosque rebuilds after firebombing

Construction on the Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley is finally underway after it was burned during a hate crime last December.

“We had to do a few things with city before we could begin construction,” said Imam Reymundo Nour.

The outside of the place of worship is still blackened and boarded up, but inside there are new walls being built and there will soon be new carpet and tile to replace the damage.

“We’ve made some tremendous progress compared to where we were the last time. Today we are putting the pieces back together,” said Nour.

People from across the southland donated $34,000 to help with the repairs. The goal is to have the mosque ready to welcome members and visitors in time for Ramadan next month.

“We have more families coming, more participation and so we’re hoping everything is done. It’s always an exciting time,” Nour said. “What we’re doing here is getting this back to usable condition and then we’ll focus on building the new mosque.”

A judge sentenced 23-year-old Carl Dial to six years in prison for arson and a hate crime.

“We issued forgiveness for the young man, but we let the justice system do what it does best,” said Nour.