<P> Nevertheless, a link between political views and mosque attendance can still be seen in other parts of the world . Following the al - Askari Mosque bombing in February 2006, imams and other Islamic leaders used mosques and Friday prayers as vehicles to call for calm and peace in the midst of widespread violence . </P> <P> As they are considered important to the Muslim community, mosques, like other places of worship, can be at the heart of social conflicts . The Babri Mosque was the subject of such a conflict up until the early 1990s when it was demolished . Before a mutual solution could be devised, the mosque was destroyed on December 6, 1992 as the mosque was built by Babur allegedly on the site of a previous Hindu temple marking the birthplace of Rama . The controversy surrounded the mosque was directly linked to rioting in Bombay (present - day Mumbai) as well as bombings in 1993 that killed 257 people . </P> <P> Bombings in February 2006 and June 2007 seriously damaged Iraq's al - Askari Mosque and exacerbated existing tensions . Other mosque bombings in Iraq, both before and after the February 2006 bombing, have been part of the conflict between the country's groups of Muslims . However, mosque bombings have not been exclusive to Iraq; in June 2005, a suicide bomber killed at least 19 people at an Afghan Shia mosque near Jade Maivand . In April 2006, two explosions occurred at India's Jama Masjid . </P> <P> Following the September 11 attacks, several American mosques were targeted in attacks ranging from simple vandalism to arson . Furthermore, the Jewish Defense League was suspected of plotting to bomb the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California . Similar attacks occurred throughout the United Kingdom following the 7 July 2005 London bombings . Outside the Western world, in June 2001, the Hassan Bek Mosque was the target of vandalism and attacks by hundreds of Israelis after a suicide bomber killed 19 people in a night club in Tel Aviv . Although mosquegoing is highly encouraged for men, it is permitted to stay at home when one feels at risk from Islamophobic persecution . </P>

Where is the koran kept in a mosque