Church arson

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. 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. 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).