Avenue Z residents woke up Monday morning to the words, “Dumb Muslims Die,” scrawled in paint on their sidewalk, only a few blocks away from a controversial mosque that has stirred up racial tensions in the neighborhood.
The inane scribbles were found near Haring Street this morning, nary three blocks away from the Voorhies Avenue construction site where mosque supporters clashed in 2010 with Tea Party protestors carrying racist signs and spouting inflammatory slogans.
Democratic District Leader and council candidate Ari Kagan, who has spoken out in opposition to the mosque, nonetheless condemned Sunday’s late-night vandalism.
“I was deeply saddened and troubled to learn of yesterday’s hate crime targeting Muslims in Sheepshead Bay,” said Kagan. “Southern Brooklyn is a vibrant, diverse community, home to families from all across the world. There is absolutely no place for such hateful behavior in our communities. We must stand with our District Attorney to ensure these perpetrators are brought to justice. Our neighbors will, of course, assist the NYPD with their investigation. I encourage anyone with information on this crime to step forward.”
The mosque’s board of trustees acknowledged the tensions their house of worship — which is expected to be completed before the end of the year — has stirred in the neighborhood. Still, the recent bombings in Boston probably had more to do with the vandalism than their construction project, said Ahmed Allowey, a member of the mosque’s board.
“There have been some incidents that are highly uncharacteristic of the people of Brooklyn and the city of New York,” said Allowey. “However, we can’t say this is connected. What happened in Boston got a lot of people angry, and we have been angered and saddened by it. But the neighborhood has been quiet regarding the mosque.”
The 61st precinct is currently looking into the incident. The investigation of which will likely fall to their hate crime’s detectives unit, according to a source inside the precinct.
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
