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A damaged wall (CAIR photo)
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalizing the Islamic Organization of North America mosque on Ryan Road in Warren over the weekend, sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
CAIR stated that the vandalism occurred in areas related to the mosque's expansion project and the old building, and involved damage to a dry wall, broken windows, and graffiti on the floor and construction equipment.
Steve Elturk, president of the Islamic Organization of North America, tells the Detroit News:
CAIR photo
"In the back of my head, I'm saying, 'Is it because of the problems in the Middle East? Is it because of some ignorant people listening to biased media? I have no idea what motivated those who did it.'"
CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid tells Deadline Detroit that the vandals spray-painted the word "gay" on a Caterpillar machine owned by the contractor and "love" on the floor.
"Obviously, there's no justification for what was done," Walid said. "There was nothing blatantly Islamophobic about the graffiti. But whoever vandalized it had to see the signage indicating that it was clearly a house of worship for Muslims. So, they had to know who they were targeting."
He said it's not the first time the building has been vandalized. He noted there was strong opposition in the community against the mosque opening about 18 years ago.
The vandalism comes at a time when the war in Gaza continues. Both Jewish and Islamic religious centers have been targets of vandalism since the war began on October 7, 2023.
He said a report has been made to the Warren Police Department, which is investigating.
