Members of a Lubbock mosque fear for their safety as vandals have continuously defaced their place of worship. Within the last month, the Islamic Center of the South Plains at 3419 La Salle Ave. has been vandalized at least three times. Between 11 p.m. Monday and 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, someone wrote the misspelled word "Redemtion" in black spray paint and scribbled lines on the sidewalks."I don't know what is the message they're trying to give," said Faiz Rahman, a member of the mosque and the adviser to Texas Tech's Muslim Students Association. "Given that it happened three times within the last month, we're a little concerned."
Lubbock police Sgt. Marian McGuire said the incidents were reported, but whoever is responsible for the vandalism has not been identified. Trampled flower beds and smashed exterior lights have prompted the mosque's religious leader, Mohamed El-Moctar, to consider updating the mosque's security system and installing digital security cameras.
A contractor also will be brought to the mosque to determine the cost of repairs to the building's exterior.
"We are a very peaceful community - and we expect to be able to come to worship without any intimidation," El-Moctar said. "It's really disturbing for the community because we have a service late at night sometimes."
The Muslim community in Lubbock is estimated to be between 500 and 700 people. Membership at the center is about 150.
Last summer, a fence surrounding the mosque property was removed as part of a renovation project. A new 5,600-square-foot multipurpose building also was added as well as new landscaping and walkways. The project cost between $700,000 and $800,000 and was funded by local Muslim donations and fundraising events.
El-Moctar said the recent incidents began after the renovation was completed last month. The goal of the additions and changes to the mosque was to become a part of the community. "I think maybe the building is becoming more visible and possibly more vulnerable," he said.
He encouraged anyone with questions about Islam to sit down with him and other members of the mosque and discuss religion openly. "I would like to tell the people who did this they are welcome to come to the mosque at any time."
Rahman also said he is not angry with the vandals, but he would like them or anyone else with fear of what they don't understand to try and gain a different prospective. "Probably they just don't know us - we invite people to come in; this is an open place," he said. "It's a place of worship and it should not be vandalized."
This is not the first time the center has been targeted. In May 2004, four teenagers received probation for burglarizing the mosque and writing pro-American and anti-Muslim slogans on the walls.
Actually, the 2004 vandals simply wrote obscenities and generic stuff like "go home" on the mosque. There was nothing "pro-American" about it, and nothing specifically anti-Muslim for that matter. The article also fails to mention that they stole some stuff and did $12,000 worth of damage. The police were adamant that there was no real religious or political motivation behind the incident. They had a good reason: The perps turned out to be illiterate gang-bangers who told investigators that they had first intended to vandalize a synagogue but failed to find one and had settled on the mosque instead!