Spray-painted racial epithets tell Muslims to get out
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (KCRA) —
Members of Roseville’s Tarbiya Institute arrived Wednesday morning to find a dozen different racial epithets spray painted on the building’s front and back.
FAST FACTS
- Tarbiya Institute vandalized with hate speech
- Spray painted epithets tell Muslims to get out
- Imam said community must come together fight this kind of rhetoric
The hateful slurs reads “F— Allah,” “F— Islam,” and “Muslim out,” among others.
Max Resnik/KCRA
“This is not an assault on a mosque, it is not an assault on the Muslim community,” said Imam Mohamed Abdul-Azeez, of the Tarbiya Institute on Sierra Gardens Drive. “This is an assault on our entire community right here in the Sacramento area, and all of us need to stand together and say that we will not stand for this behavior.”
Abdul-Azeez said the institute, which provides spiritual and educational services to 300 members and has only been open six months, has been the recipient of an outpouring of love and support in the last two weeks.
He does not believe this is reflective of the Roseville community.
“The last two weeks, there’s been an (outpouring) of support from random people just coming in and dropping off cakes and cookies and letters of support,” Abdul-Azeez said. “It has been amazing.”
But according to Abdul-Azeez, what happened at the Tarbiya Institute is the result of hate speech on a much larger scale.
“This incident is not an isolated incident. It’s very minor. It’s very small,” Abdul Azeez said. “There’s some graffiti on the wall, but it’s a microcosm of other bigger events that happen around the country. I think that is reflective of a sinister spirit that has been perpetuated by people in power in this country, and we as a community need to stand up against that.”
Roseville police spokesperson Dee Dee Gunther said the vandalism is being investigated as a hate crime.
“This is not acceptable in our community,” Gunther said. “We’re taking it very seriously.”
Police are focused on finding witnesses, surveillance video and any physical evidence. They’re calling on the public for help in identifying the person or people responsible.
“Quite frankly, we’ve never had an incident like that there or recently at any other houses of worship here in Roseville,” Assistant Police Chief James MaCcoun said.
Basim Elkarra, the executive director of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, issued this statement:
“Just as we have been disturbed by the rising number of hate incidents targeting Muslims in California and nationwide, we have been encouraged by the positive community responses in support of those targeted by bigotry. We hope the Sacramento-area community will offer similar support to the families that worship at the Tarbiya institute.”
There is a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the graffiti.
