Truck With Anti-Muslim Messages Drove By 4 NJ Mosques, Group Says

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The same truck that drove in circles through the parking lot of a Piscataway mosque on Nov. 26 was also seen at three more mosques in Central New Jersey that same day, according to the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an Islamic advocacy group.

The truck was seen at mosques in Edison, North Brunswick and in the Fords section of Woodbridge, each time broadcasting the same graphic photos and video from the 2008 Islamic terror attacks in Mumbai, the group said.

CAIR-NJ said it has been tracking the incidents and speaking with members of New Jersey mosques, asking them if they have seen the truck.

"We’ve confirmed that four Islamic centers were visited by this truck displaying hateful, anti-Muslim messages on November 26," said Dina Sayedahmed, CAIR-NJ spokeswoman. "Though we are still awaiting official police findings, it is clear that these incidents are deliberate and well-coordinated. The perpetrator designed several anti-Muslim posters, rented a truck with an electronic billboard to display them, and then drove to at least four Islamic Centers in New Jersey, displaying these vile and anti-Muslim messages both at the (mosques) as well as on the road."

The incident at the Piscataway mosque — the Muslim Center of Middlesex County on Hoes Lane — was widely condemned, with Gov. Phil Murphy calling it an "anti-Muslim intimidation tactic of bigotry" that is "utterly unacceptable and downright shameful."

Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler said it was "religious-based harassment" that "deeply disturbed him." He met with members of the Islamic Center in a well-publicized press conference a few days after the Nov. 26 incident. Wahler said he wanted to discuss the safety of mosque members.

"While we are disturbed by such events, we are grateful to local officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy, Sen. Robert Menendez and Attorney General Matt Platkin for standing with us. We continue to call on other officials to do the same," said Sayedahmed Thursday.

Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac and Police Director Robert Hubner did not immediately respond when Patch asked if they had a comment on the truck appearing outside the Fords mosque.

In November 2008, a Pakistani Islamic terrorist organization carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks that lasted for four days across Mumbai, India. In total, at least 174 people were killed.

Tension between Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India has remained extremely high since then.

"To demand that Muslims in New Jersey answer for Muslims oceans away is not only unreasonable, but also dangerous," said the CAIR spokeswoman Thursday. "We’re already seeing an uptick in anti-Muslim incidents — this year alone, we’ve received 150 calls reporting anti-Muslim incidents — and this only adds more flame to the fire."

Here is the truck seen Nov. 26 when it drove up and parked outside a mosque in the Fords section of Woodbridge:

The same truck outside the Masjid al-Wali in Edison that same day:

And the truck seen outside the New Brunswick Islamic Center in North Brunswick, also Nov. 26:

Controversial bulldozer appeared in Edison-Woodbridge India parade in August

Today, many Indians and Pakistanis live in New Jersey.

However, Pakistani-Indian tensions surfaced this past August in Edison and Woodbridge, when a bulldozer was included in the India Independence Day parade.

Some say the bulldozer symbolizes anti-Muslim sentiment and the destruction of Muslim homes by the Indian government. The specific bulldozer used in the Edison/Woodbridge parade featured large photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, both Hindu nationalist figures.

Adityanath specifically has been known for making inflammatory anti-Muslim comments in the Indian press.

Gov. Murphy and both U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker all condemned the use of the bulldozer in the August parade, calling on parade organizers to apologize.

After several weeks of declining to comment, the Indian Business Association, which organized the parade, apologized.

On this topic: Anti-Muslim Imagery Paraded Around Piscataway Mosque, Members Say (Nov. 30)

Organizers Apologize For Including Bulldozer In Edison Parade (Sept. 1)