Islamic Group Says Mosque Vandalisms May Be 'Bias Crime': Media Reports

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A mosque in Manassas has been hit twice by vandals this week, according to media reports, and a national Islamic group is calling on authorities to investigate the incidents as a bias crime.

On Monday evening, members of the Manassas Muslim Association, in the 9500 block of Euclid Avenue, reported to the Manassas City Police Department that two of the three air conditioning units outside their building had sustained damage to their copper tubing. The damage was estimated at about $1,500, according to a police report.

On Thursday night, the same thing happened again, WRC-TV Channel 4 reported. Someone vandalized one of the air conditioning units, cutting through copper cables.

The mosque is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and members on Friday evening were celebrating the end of the holy season of Ramadan.

In a post on its website, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the Manassas mosque has been targeted in the past “by people driving by and shouting slurs like ‘go back home.’

“Because of the effort required to sever the air conditioning lines, the history of previous incidents targeting the mosque and the rise in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide, we believe it is essential that law enforcement authorities investigate a possible bias motive for this vandalism,” CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in the Facebook post.

CAIR says it is working with the Manassas police, which is investigating the incidents, according to media reports.