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Miami Herald – April 6, 2006
FL: Mosque defacing part of ongoing hate spree
By Ashley Fantz
The weekend defacing of a Muslim prayer hall and a new audit of hate crimes against Jews brought into relief the continuing threats against Muslim and Jewish houses of worship in South Florida.
On Sunday, volunteers for the Islamic Center of South Florida discovered that vandals had sprayed the words ''Osama BinLeden'' in yellow paint on a wall of their new school, gymnasium and prayer hall, which are under construction in the 5400 block of Northwest 108th Avenue in Sunrise.
''Incidents like this aren't going to stop us,'' said Syed Rahman, a spokesperson for the center. ``If anything, this will underscore the importance of reaching out to the different religious communities so that we all come together to denounce acts of hate.''
The Anti-Defamation League released an audit on Wednesday indicating that hate crimes against Jews increased statewide last year, from 173 in 2004 to 199 in 2005.
In Weston alone, between January 2005 and March 2006, a dozen bomb threats were made to synagogues, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
One temple director contacted by The Miami Herald, who asked that his name not be published, said a school at his synagogue regularly conducts bomb drills.
''There are religious customs,'' said Andrew Rosenkranz, the Anti-Defamation League's Florida regional director. ``Unfortunately, in the world today there is another custom -- and it's security. Everyone has got to do it.''
FIVE INCIDENTS: At least five incidents of vandalism in South Florida involved mosques or places of Muslim worship last year, said Altaf Ali, of Pembroke Pines.
The 41-year-old is the Florida director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Founded in 1994, the national organization monitors hate crimes against Muslims, which have been on the rise since Sept. 11.
The Islamic School of Miami was attacked three times in the spring of 2005, Ali said. Vandals threw a brick through a glass door -- twice within two weeks. Someone scrawled a swastika on a sign at the school, said Ali.
Last fall, rocks were thrown through a glass door and a window at the Assidiq Islamic Educational Foundation in Boca Raton. On the front of the mosque, someone painted ''4 Baker,'' a possible reference to William Baker, a Holocaust denier who spoke at the mosque in April 2005.
`THEY PLANNED': ''What was scary [in the Sunrise incident] is there were no signs letting people know that this was an Islamic center, so whoever did this -- they knew this was a place where Muslims go. . . . They planned, '' said Ali.
Sunrise police are investigating the vandalism as a third-degree felony. Teenagers often rode their mopeds on the 11-acre private property, despite efforts to keep an entrance gate locked. It's unclear if there are witnesses to the crime.
Waseem Quadri, a 50-year-old engineer from Pembroke Pines who has lived in Florida since 1981, has overseen the construction project, which began in March 2005. ''We've been working on this project since 1999,'' he said, noting that fundraising efforts for the building slowed after Sept. 11.
In 2004, CAIR received 1,522 reports of discrimination against Muslims nationwide, compared with 1,019 cases in 2003.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/14273637.htm
Sun-Sentinel – April 5, 2006
Vandals deface mosque under construction in Florida
Police are investigating on Tuesday the defacement this week of a mosque under construction, as members of the local Muslim community called for the matter to be handled as a hate crime.
The words "Osama binleden" were discovered spray-painted on a wall Monday morning at the Islamic Center of South Florida, under construction in the 5400 block of Northwest 108th Avenue, according to Sunrise Police spokesman Lt. Robert Voss.
A report for criminal mischief was filed Monday evening.
The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement calling for both Sunrise police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to pursue the matter as a hate crime, saying the nature of the graffiti indicated a specific bias…..
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-c3bdig05apr05,0,3846159.story
Carey Codd, CBS - April 4, 2006
Vandalism at sunrise mosque feared a hate crime
Members of a Sunrise mosque are asking the public and the FBI to get involved in investigating an act of vandalism on their building this week.
Monday, the words 'Osama Binleden' were found spray-painted on one of the Islamic Center of South Florida's walls located at 5457 Northwest 108th Avenue in Sunrise. An electrical box was also found damaged at the site of the building, which is still under construction. Officials believe the vandalism was done sometime overnight and fear this might be a possible hate crime.
For this reason the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have become involved and are publicly requesting that federal and local agencies get involved in investigating this as a possible hate crime.
"The nature of the graffiti in this incident would seem to indicate the possibility of a bias motive," said CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali. "We urge the FBI to assist local law enforcement authorities in resolving this case and assuring the security of Florida Muslims."
CAIR is also asking for increased police patrols outside Islamic institutions in South Florida….
http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_094160235.html
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