Mosque vandalism generates fear and sadness for many

Fear, sadness and outrage are prevalent forces in the community after the most recent vandalism at the construction site of the new mosque in Murfreesboro.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. yesterday, an unknown person trespassed onto the construction site of the new mosque on Veals Road and set one construction vehicle on fire, doused the other vehicles with the remaining gasoline and fled the scene.

"I spoke with the lead detective who said he's looking into this in different avenues; not just as a hate crime, but also as trespassing and vandalism," said Camie Ayash, spokesperson for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.

There are no suspects and no charges have been filed yet, but the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department is cooperating with the FBI and Homeland Security to catch the suspect.

"They're keeping all avenues open and they're on top of it," Ayash said. "We place all of our confidence in them, and they've done an excellent job so far in notifying us about acts of vandalism like this."

Ayash said the contractor involved hasn't halted construction on the mosque, but progress would be delayed for at least another day.

"It's really sad because this wasn't our personal equipment; this was a local business owner, and they caused so much damage to him," Ayash said. "I can't even imagine how much one of these trucks is worth, and they just set it ablaze."

The motivation of the subject responsible for this act is unclear, but the general feeling among the Islamic Center's members, supporters and law enforcement is that it could be a hate crime.

"I feel like they accomplished what they've tried to accomplish – they've instilled fear into our hearts," Ayash said. "They know that's not our equipment, and they know that's not hurting us financially, but they did get the message to be fearful across – and I feel that we are."

John Green, a local attorney and supporter of the Islamic Center, said that he also believed that this act of vandalism should be considered a hate crime.

"I don't think there's any reason to suspect it's anything other than a hate crime," Green said. "John Ford, of Ole South Construction Company, has insurance on the equipment; it's not anything else but a vicious display of bigotry against the members of the center."

Green has offered his services free of charge to the Islamic Center, and said his offer is not an isolated attempt at helping the center.

"I'm not the first lawyer that has offered services, not only in Murfreesboro but in Middle Tennessee, and I doubt I'll be the last," Green said. "The feeling among the legal community in general is very strong; we have fundamental First Amendment issues here."

Saleh Sbenaty, a professor of engineering technology and member of the planning committee for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, expressed his appreciation for Green's efforts.

"That is the real Murfreesboro," Sbenaty said while pointing to Green. "This [crime] is not the real Murfreesboro."

Green and others have said that this type of action against the Islamic Center is not only an attack on the Muslim community of Rutherford County, but also a personal matter.

"My family has been in Rutherford County for six generations, and to have national exposure for this is humiliating," Green said.

Sbenaty said that this crime is one of many contributing factors to the negative image Murfreesboro has received concerning the mosque controversy.

"This is going to reflect badly on the city of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, and this is something that the community and city should look at as something ugly," Sbenaty said.

Beyond the concerns of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County's public image, Ayash and others involved with the Islamic Center spoke about the damage this act has done to their community.

"When I heard this morning, I started crying out of fear," Ayash said. "I wonder if I'm next or my kids are next – for someone to take this to the next level and do something that could cause harm to someone else, it really steps it up and makes you look and say this is more serious than we thought it was."

Ayash said this crime has generated a great deal of fear among the congregation at the Islamic Center.

"Our attendance levels have dropped dramatically," Ayash said. "People are scared to gather, even at our current mosque; people are scared to leave their homes."

Sbenaty and Ayash said that they are most concerned with the feelings of the children and the elderly, who they said might have been hit hardest by this crime.

Aysha said this situation had greatly impacted the children in the community. She said that the children were "terrified and heartbroken." Ayash said the children were initially very excited when they saw the ground-breaking but that now "this just rips that right out of their hearts."

"When we heard the news, an older gentleman was in the mosque praying today, and he said ‘God forbid someone attack me, I'm not physically able to defend myself,'" Ayash said. "It's sad people have to look over their shoulders now in fear."

Saleh expressed the same concern for the children of the Muslim community.

"We're adults and we understand this, but what do you tell these young children, who have used some of their own pocket money as a donation for this center?" Sbenaty said. "How do you explain that to them – someone who was born here and grew up here, and know the United States is his or her own country; it's a really sad day."

Even in light of this crime, Ayash said that members of the Islamic Center understand that this single incident is not a reflection of Murfreesboro or Rutherford County as a whole.

"The sad thing is that this is a very small group causing all of this ruckus, and I really want everyone to know that," Ayash said. "The amount of support we've received from Rutherford County residents has been overwhelming, and not just here but all over the United States and now internationally."