North Austin Mosque Vandalized

NORTH AUSTIN, TEXAS — A North Austin mosque was broken into and vandalized on Sunday morning, officials said.

North Austin Muslim Community Center officials said on their Facebook page the break-in and vandalism occurred about 1:30 a.m. Sunday when an alarm system was triggered. Several broken windows were discovered and a tire on a vehicle in the parking lot was slashed, according to the Facebook post.

Although a video surveillance camera recorded the incident, the quality of the footage failed to capture the suspect's face, officials wrote. The suspect appears to be a white man between the ages of 18 and 24 entering the property through a wooden fence, officials said. The suspect approached the front of the building before breaking glass to access a window and door of the building, according to the post.

The footage also shows the suspect puncturing the vehicle tire in the parking lot.

The incident has prompted officials to hire security guard to safeguard the building at night from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., mosque officials said. Plans also call for the installation of a higher-quality security camera system, officials said.

Mosque officials said the incident was reported to police as a hate crime.

It's not the first time the mosque has been vandalized, according to the social media post. Two years ago, another incident prompted mosque officials to hire daily security personnel costing $6,000 each month.

On Tuesday, Austin chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Austin) called on law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for vandalism targeting a mosque in that state, officials said in a press advisory.

“Because of the severity of the vandalism, and because of the rise in anti-Muslim incidents and Islamophobia nationwide, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive in this case,” CAIR-Austin Executive Director Maira Sheikh said in a prepared statement. She noted that CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president.

According to the Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization, anti-Muslim incidents and hate crimes nationwide in the second quarter (April-June) of 2018 are up 83 and 21 percent respectively, as compared to the first quarter of 2018, officials said. To see the detailed report, click here.

Amid the rise in such hate-filled incidents, the anti-Muslim hate groups Soldiers of Odin and Texas Patriot Network staged an an armed rally outside the national convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) IN Houston, officials said. CAIR officials released a video showing some anti-Muslim group members milling around in making their presence known as the Muslim community staged its Houston rally:

CAIR officials are urging houses of worship to take extra security precautions using its "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety" booklet. The advice in CAIR’s security publication is applicable to religious institutions of all faiths. The booklet may be viewed at: https://tinyurl.com/BestSafetyPractices.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization with a mission to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

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