We have received reports of hate crimes against the American Masjid Darul Quran Mosque in Long Island, New York. We call upon a rejection of such vandalism and hatred against mosques or any houses of worship anywhere in the world. Apparently a group of vandals spray painted statements on the mosque, and then draped toilet paper over the imam’s house. The vandalism stated “The War Will Rise,” “RIP US Ambassador,” among other statements.

What is even more troubling are the comments made by readers on the NYC CBS local news web site by twisted individuals calling for the mosque to be “burned down,” calling Muslims “venom,” and other hateful comments. This demonstrates the depth of the HATE that we must continue to challenge every day. We challenge and reject such views of hate as Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and all faiths, all races, all nationalities, and all identity groups.

We must urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.

NYC CBS news has reported:
“A message of hate was spray-painted on a Suffolk County mosque and now police are searching for the vandals. The angry words on the Bay Shore mosque threatened a rising war. It’s believed that someone came over the fence and vandalized the building, police said. The imam at Masjid Darul Quran Mosque showed CBS 2′s Lou Young the now white-washed spots where the messages were found. A pair of spray-painted statements that were written apparently referred to the overseas violence against U.S. embassies and consulates by Muslim extremists. They appeared along with an ominous reference to rising war, but the messages were directed against neighbors worshiping peacefully. Police called it a hate crime. “This is an attack on the community here in Suffolk County. It tears at the fabric of our community,’ said Suffolk County Police Lt. Stephen Hernandez, The overseas violence was condemned repeatedly from the pulpit at the Long Island mosque and the U.S. Libyan ambassador was mourned the very day he died. So the words especially hurt and the worshipers said they are worried it might not be an isolated incident. ‘There are things happening all over the country. It is troubling to see this happening in America. The America that I love so much,’ said worshiper Mohammed Zainul. The hurtful graffiti was painted last week. Friday morning someone came in the other side of the property to drape toilet paper over the imam’s house. Members of the mosque said they believe the actions are part of a pattern. “I feel scared they might hurt my brothers and all that,” worshiper Mohammed Laiqat said. ‘I’m definitely worried about this.’ In 20 years of worship in the community, the worshipers said they have never before felt unsafe or targeted.”

In addition, note that Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

The Long Island mosque had the following statement on its web site:

“The Masjid Darul Quran, Bay shore, NY has very strongly condemned the killing of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, and his staff, and unequivocally condemned the attack on the US Embassies in Cairo and Yemen which came in the aftermath of bigoted video film in which the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was depicted in a profane manner. Although we condemn production of such hateful video and yet believe that this video could never be an excuse to commit any acts of violence whatsoever. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is loved and respected by millions of people across the world, and no one can dilute or erase his love from our hearts. No one should fall into the trap of those who wish to promote terror and violence. The Prophet (peace be upon him) should be our example in everything we do, and even though he was attacked and insulted many times throughout his life, he always reacted with compassion and forgiveness, never with revenge or violence. To engage in such violence and senseless killing is to truly defile his legacy. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the other three American personnel at this tragic time. We also condemn graffiti on the outer walls of the MDQ by some unknown people and ask the authorities to take serious action against such elements.”