After a house fire killed five people in Green Valley Ranch last week, Muslim leaders are calling on Denver law enforcement to open a hate crime investigation into the incident. 

The early morning fire, which killed Senegalese immigrant Djibril Diol, his wife, toddler daughter, sister and niece, is currently being investigated by law enforcement as a homicide. Law enforcement quickly determined that the fire was likely set intentionally by a culprit who fled the scene. 

However, Muslim leaders believe that the case is not merely a homicide, but a hate crime. 

According to an article by Religious News Service, Muslim Advocates’ public advocacy director Scott Simpson said in a statement that law enforcement have to take this murder and arson seriously. 

“We call on law enforcement to immediately investigate whether the deadly fire in Green Valley Ranch was motivated by hate,” Simpson said. “The family of those lost and the Muslim community in Denver deserve justice and peace of mind.”

Madihha Ahussain, special counsel for anti-Muslim bigotry with Muslim Advocates, told Colorado Politics that the importance is to make sure officials are keeping an open mind to the possibility .

“That is important because there are often incidents where individuals are targeted because of bias, but law enforcement don’t necessarily default to considering that, or they may overlook some component of an investigation that could suggest that bias was a motivating factor,” Ahussain said.

At a press conference Friday, Denver Police Division Chief Joe Montoya said the incident is not being investigated as a hate crime.

“We don’t want to get tunnel-visioned into a motive,” Montoya said. “There are some cases on the front end as very evident to what the motive was to a crime; this is not one of those cases. We have to go into it very open-minded and look at every possible angle.”

Montoya said if at any time during the investigation it becomes clear that it was a hate crime, that information will be shared with the community. 

Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, the representative for Council District 11 which includes Green Valley Ranch, said that while it is too early in the investigation to say whether or not the incident was a hate crime, she believes it is absolutely reasonable for Muslim leaders to ask the question .

“We want to make sure (investigators) are following through in the investigation so that we have a solid case,” Gilmore said. “We need to identify a suspect or suspects to interview them and figure out what the motivation was and what the intent was.”

Gilmore added that while her office does not have a plan to help those recovering from the incident, her council office “stands ready.” 

Ahussain said that the importance for these communities is the idea of labeling a spade a spade. She added that events like this are deeply traumatic , and investigating them as a hate crime helps those understand what is going on around them.

“ It also leads to greater transparency and accountability for law enforcement to try and understand that these communities are being targeted,” Ahussain said. “Not just because of perhaps the neighborhoods that they live in or perhaps the random incidents that occur, but because of who they are; because of the color of their skin, which religion that they practice, the country that they came from and that is not acceptable. It is not acceptable in Denver, it is not acceptable in our country.”

At this time, there have been no updates to the case. Law enforcement is offering $14,000 for information about the fire. 

“This was a family that was thriving, they were headed the right direction,” Montoya said Friday. “Mr. Diol was doing all the things he needed to do to provide his family with an amazing life in America, and that was all cut short. If you have any information on this crime, we ask that you look into your heart and do the right thing. Do it for the right reasons, because we need to find these individuals or individual and we have to hold them accountable.”