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Islamic Center Near Tampa Vandalized
Vandals broke windows of an Islamic center in a Tampa suburb and then scrawled the words "Kill All Muslims" on the walls inside, Islamic officials said Saturday. The vandalism at the Community Education Center in Lutz was discovered Friday, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The graffiti, written in marker and crayon, also included a derogatory message about Allah.
| Luckily, nobody flew a plane into it... |
Locked donation boxes and locked file cabinets were also broken into or damaged, CAIRFlorida spokesman Ahmed Bedier said. He said the damage was not extensive, but the messages were intimidating to people who use the community center.
| Not as intimidating as cutting somebody's head off, of course... |
"Theyâre afraid. Theyâre concerned. Theyâre intimidated," Bedier said.
| "Oh, hold me, Fatimah! I'm so frightened!" |
"They donât want to be victims of hate crimes, they donât have anything to do with things that are happening overseas."
| "Yeah! Paleostine means nuttin' to us! Nuttin', I tells yez!" |
The FBI has been asked to investigate the vandalism as a possible hate crime, he said. The FBI did not return a phone message Saturday.
| Everybody's busy hunting cut-throats in Soddy Arabia... |
The building is a cultural and education center that offers weekend classes, Bedier said. It also has a prayer hall, but it is not a full-time mosque. "With the recent increase of violence in Iraq and the killing of an American civilian in Saudi Arabia, the Islamic community in Florida is concerned about a possible anti-Muslim backlash," said Altaf Ali, executive director of CAIR-Florida. About 35,000 Muslims live in the Tampa Bay area, according to the group.
A taste of their own medicine and a preview of times to come for muslims in America.
| I'm against vandalism on principle. If it belongs to somebody else, leave it the hell alone. On the other hand, I find it almost comforting that there really is an American street, and it's cheesed at the idea of having Americans' heads cut off simply because they're Americans. The idea that "they donât have anything to do with things that are happening overseas" sounds pretty hollow, coming from the stomping grounds of Sami al-Arian and his brother-in-law â the current head of Islamic Jihad... |
Posted by: Anonymous4617 2004-06-20 |
