Washington: The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today called on the FBI to investigate vandalism of a New York mosque as
a hate crime.
Suffolk County police are investigating hate graffiti,
including "RIP US Ambassador" and "The War Will Rise,"
spray-painted on the outside wall of the North Bay Shore Masjid Darul Quran
mosque. The vandalism is believed to have occurred sometime between September
12th and 13th, in response to the recent killing of America's ambassador to
Libya.
CAIR and other American Muslim organizations have condemned
the ambassador's killing and have issued appeals for calm to the Muslim world.
"No American house of worship should be targeted by
hate because of events overseas and no American should face fear or intimidation
because of their faith or ethnicity," said CAIR National Communications
Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We urge the FBI to join in the investigation of
this apparently bias motivated attack and we ask our nation's leaders to speak
out against those who promote or exploit anti-Muslim hate."
He also expressed concern about potential backlash from
anti-Islam advertisements that are being put up in New York area subway
stations by the head of a designated hate group.