Chicago police are investigating the discovery of a burnt copy of the Quran found outside the Muslim Community Center on the Northwest Side to determine if the book was damaged in a hate crime.

Some youths found the burnt book on a sidewalk outside the community center at 4380 N. Elston Ave. in the Old Irving Parkneighborhood about 1 p.m. Sunday, a day after the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to police and the center’s officials.

The teenagers were on their way to the center for a prayer session, said Mohammed Kaiseruddin, who is on the community center’s board of directors. He said the youths quietly brought it into the building and turned it in.

“We feel like we’ve been victimized, that’s for sure,” Kaiseruddin said. “When we handle the Quran ourselves … we treat it with the utmost respect. We never put a copy of the Quran down on the floor.”

Chicago Tribune, 14 September 2010

See also Fox News Chicago, 14 September 2010

Update:  See “Hate mail follows burnt Quran at local mosque”, WBEZ, 15 September 2010