Vandalism at Tennessee Islamic center is being investigated as hate crime, police say

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Vandalism at a Tennessee Islamic center is being investigated as a hate crime, authorities say. Sometime between Sunday evening and early Monday morning, someone spray painted “F*** Allah” and “We are vandal group” on the concrete basketball court and on two walls of the main building. The vandal(s) even placed bacon — a prohibited meat in Islamic dietary law– on door handles. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro posted pictures of the damage to Facebook saying they are “deeply troubled and saddened by the expression of anti-Muslim hatred and vandalism against our house of worship and community.” “We hope that this incident is not a setback to all the progress we have made in our community since the opposition we faced when we built our new facility, just a few years ago. We are certain that this incident will reinforce our unity and will not negatively impact our beautiful city and county,” added Dr. Saleh Sbenaty for the ICM. Law enforcement said they have contacted federal authorities about the case. It’s unclear if the center had working surveillance cameras and if they captured the suspect(s) in the act.