Feces smeared on Brooklyn mosque, CAIR-NY says
The NYPD is investigating a hate crime at a Brooklyn mosque.
The incident took place at 4:30 a.m. March 9 at the Islamic Mission of America on State Street near Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights.
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said a man hurled pages of the Quran and smeared feces on the door of the mosque.
Police released video of a man they're looking for. He's shown wearing a black skullcap, black facemask on his chin, red sweatshirt and red sweatpants, and sneakers.
"This reported act of attempted desecration is deeply disturbing and reflects a blatant act of hate targeting a house of worship. We commend law enforcement authorities for investigating this incident as a hate crime and urge a swift and thorough investigation to hold the perpetrator accountable. No community should have to fear harassment or attack because of their religious beliefs," CAIR-NY executive director Afaf Nasher said.
In its most recent civil rights report, CAIR says complaints of anti-Muslim bias and discrimination have increased nationwide. Just last week, the NYPD and FBI said they'd disrupted a plot to firebomb the home of a Palestinian activist.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on X, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
