The Islamic Center of Fort Collins in Colorado was vandalized early Sunday morning. Someone threw rocks through the windows, furniture was overturned, and there was a Bible thrown in the center’s prayer room. (Just in case there was any doubt as to who did it.) Thankfully, no one was hurt.
There was widespread condemnation of the crime, as you’d expect from decent people, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking that authorities consider this a possible hate crime.
The center’s leader, Tawfik Aboellail, did a nice job responding to the crime with a message of tolerance and inclusion: “We are peaceful people. We love our Christian and Jewish brothers. We don’t have any problems with anyone.” He also said that security footage pointed to a white man who looked to be in his mid-20s.
No one’s been arrested for the crime yet, but it goes without saying that this is absolutely unacceptable. Everyone has the right to worship in peace. It’s appalling — and ironic — that someone who may well belong to a group that constantly complains about religious persecution did something like this.
If you want your heart to grow a few sizes, though, check out this video of the interfaith crowd that gathered outside the mosque last night to show support for the Muslims who worship there.
There’s also a GoFundMe page run by by the center to “repair the damage and improve our site security,” in case you’d like to chip in.
(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Douglas for the link)
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