SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations says police are investigating a recent vandalism incident at a San Diego mosque in which somebody tied blue rags resembling Israel's flag to a fence and pasted around 60 flyers to trees.
According to CAIR's San Diego-based office, a surveillance video from the Islamic Center of San Diego shows two vandals scouting the area before they returned and pasted 50 to 60 flyers on all of the trees on the mosque's property.
Tazheen Nizam, CAIR San Diego's executive director, said they are extremely alarmed.
"These actions create a sense of fear and concern amongst mosque attendees and the neighboring community. Parents bringing their kids to the Islamic School attached to the mosque are fearful," he said. "Our Muslim brothers and sisters deserve to feel safe and welcome in their places of worship. Especially at a time of heightened sensitivity, an action like this sends a clear message of instilling hate and fear."
CAIR has called on the San Diego Police Department to investigate the vandalism as a possible hate crime. The organization is encouraging all mosques and Islamic organizations in San Diego to stay vigilant and report suspicions or incidents to local law enforcement.
ABC 10News reached out to SDPD about the vandalism, and Public Information Officer Adam Sharki confirmed officers are investigating the hate incident.
Officers have collected all of the flyers as evidence, and they're reviewing security footage from the mosque. The department has contacted the Imam and other faith leaders about the vandalism. Neither SDPD nor CAIR disclosed the contents of the flyers.
SDPD says it is committed to keeping communities safe, and as of 12:30 p.m. Friday, there were no credible threats against mosques in the area.
"We are in constant contact with our local, state, and federal partners monitoring for any potential threats... As always, we ask the public to remain vigilant: if you see something, say something," Sharki says.
The Islamic Center of San Diego is in the Clairemont Mesa East neighborhood.
The public can report incidents similar to this to CAIR here.
