Two wooden Christian churches have been burnt down in the Isiolo town of north-eastern province. It is suspected that Muslim youths were behind the attacks in the town of Isiolo, but no arrests had been made. According to the witnesses, phrases were carved in the charred remains, including "God is Great" and "We Condemn America". Religious leaders in the predominantly Muslim area met to try to defuse tensions and reassure Christians about their security. It is believed that the incidents are connected with the attacks on the United States two weeks ago. Muslim leaders have condemned the attack. Sheikh Hussein Ibrahim of the Isiolo mosque said, "Somebody is trying to exploit the difficult relationship between the civilized world and Muslims to try and tarnish the name of Islam." Muslims make up about 6% of Kenya's 28 million population. However, Police officers in Isiolo town downplayed the arson attack, suggesting there are no religious overtones. "Those churches have stood here for the past five years. This was a normal arson attack," Isiolo police Chief James Shile said. But Isiolo town is reported to be tense following the attack on the churches. Earlier this week, the government announced that it was tightening security controls on Kenyans of Asian and Arab decent in response to the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon two weeks ago. A directive from the immigration office in the coastal town of Mombasa, host to a large Muslim population, said applicants for birth certificates or passports must include their grandparents' national documents with their applications. Similar restrictions were imposed two months ago but street demonstrations by thousands of Muslims forced the government to rethink the policy. The Council of Imams and Preachers condemned the new action. Secretary General Sheikh Mohammed Dor accused the government of provoking Kenyan Muslims by imposing "outrageous restrictions on them in time of crisis."