Church arson is the burning of, or attempting to burn, religious property. Around the world, arson is committed because empty churches are a soft target, or due to excommunication, racial hatred, pyromania, prejudice against certain religions or religious beliefs, greed, as part of a sectarian campaign of communal violence, or as a means of anonymously registering dissent or anti-religious sentiment.
In the United States, arson of black churches was common in the south around the 1960s during the civil rights struggles.[1] Arson continued to proliferate, especially in the 1990s, damaging many black churches. As a result, Congress passed the Church Arson Prevention Act in 1996. In addition, President Bill Clinton formed the National Church Arson Task Force due to the sharp increase in church arson.[2] The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) was created as a division of the Treasury Department in 1972 to investigate arson (it is now a part of the Department of Justice).[3]
- ^ Booth, William. "In Church Fires, a Pattern but No Conspiracy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 August 2000. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ "National Church Arson Task Force". The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ Hui, Jonathan. "History of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)". EdLab. Teachers College, Columbia University. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
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