West End Islamic Center vandalized for second time in six months
Table of Contents
For the second time in six months, an act of vandalism has damaged the West End Islamic Center in Glen Allen.
Photos shared by the center on its Facebook page April 17 showed broken windows, an overturned table and debris strewn about the floor – vandalism that apparently occurred the previous day sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. when a group of people may have entered the building.
“We feel compelled to speak out against these expressions of hatred,” center officials wrote in their post. “An attack on any house of worship certainly feels like an assault on the community.”
The new center, which has been under construction for several years, is located at 5000 Shady Grove Road.
Security cameras did not capture the perpetrator or perpetrators, officials wrote, adding that they want not only local but also state and federal authorities to investigate the matter and an earlier case of vandalism several months ago as hate crimes.
“Rights of all people of faith is a founding principle of America,” they wrote. “This attack is incredibly hurtful. It’s hard to imagine that someone would want to attack our place of worship. We do not know or understand the motivation of the person(s). What we do know, is that love is stronger than hate, and the members of our Mosque will stand together. We trust that our neighbors and friends will continue to stand with us and support our community as we worship during this holy month of Ramadan."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, also weighed in on the situation, asking for law enforcement officials to investigative the motives of the perpetrators.
“We call on law enforcement to swiftly investigate this crime and increase patrols in the area until those responsible are apprehended," said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. "Because the attackers vandalized the mosque without stealing anything, law enforcement should also investigate a possible bias motive for this incident. Everyone in our nation, regardless of faith, must be free to worship without the threat of harassment or violence.”
