Mosque Vandalized In West Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — An American-Islamic group in Philadelphia is calling on authorities to investigate the vandalism of a West Philly mosque as a hate crime.

The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the Masjid Al-Jamia mosque in West Philadelphia was vandalized with spray paint, which was discovered Friday morning.

The group said vandalism included the message "give [peace sign] a chance" and other symbols, including a Star of David, on the doors and walls of the mosque.

A white man in a red overcoat was captured by the mosque’s surveillance system at about 3:10 a.m. Friday.

The group is calling for stepped-up security and police protection in West Philadelphia, home to multiple mosques and Islamic schools. It also urged the local Muslim community and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions by using advice offered in its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety."

"We are calling on Philadelphia communities to stand united in the face of today’s hateful, dehumanizing rhetoric against Muslims," Ahmet Tekelioglu, Council on American-Islamic Relations Philadelphia Executive Director, said. "The kind of violation Masjid Al-Jamia has seen is unacceptable; this is the third mosque that has been defaced with bigoted language in the last two months. Our office continues to see an unprecedented uptick in reports alleging bias incidents and discrimination. Law enforcement authorities must investigate this vandalism as a hate crime."

"We will not be intimidated by such bigotry," Shuja Moore said on behalf of the mosque. "Our beautiful and amazingly diverse Al-Jamia community is more committed than ever to continue our efforts toward building bridges in our community and dispel the stereotypes about Islam. Should they come forward and admit to their mistake, we will be ready to have an informative and restorative conversation with this individual."