Police say the fire was reported at 2.15am after a nearby resident heard a loud bang. The resident went to investigate and saw the mosque alight.
Newman said the arson chemist returned to the site with detectives later on Tuesday.
There have also been four church fires in the Geelong area in the past six months.
The mosque, on Bostock Avenue, is housed in an old bluestone church, but has operated as a mosque for 23 years.
Ramzan said the mosque had not had any threats in the past.
He said the Islamic Council of Geelong would rebuild the mosque, and would not be deterred even if the mosque had been deliberately targeted.
A spokesman for the CFA said the fire had spread throughout the building by the time firefighters arrived, and could not be controlled. It took an hour to contain.
Video of the fire, posted on Facebook, showed flames pouring out of the roof.
Banks said that some neighbours didn’t know the building was a mosque.
source : shafaqna.com
