The repair project is estimated to cost $37,000.

Erik Nelson, a researcher with the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C., a group promoting renewal in the Episcopal Church and other mainline denominations, says he can understand Christians wanting to assist beleaguered Muslims with relief aid.

"But rebuilding mosques? It's not something Christians should be doing, especially in places where there has been persecution of Christians," he told WorldNetDaily.

A Bay-area Catholic said he was "horrified" to learn that St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco, has designated its "tithe" for the first quarter of 2003 to Islamic groups, with half going to the Qarabagh mosque project.