The vandalism of a La Mirada Muslim place of worship is being investigated as a hate crime, mosque officials said Tuesday.
According to Dr. Rezaur Rahman, Muslim Community Services Inc. president, between the hours of 2 to 6 p.m. Monday a rock was thrown through the mosque’s newly installed rear doors.
The congregation finished prayer at 2 p.m. Monday and Rahman did not return until later in the evening prior to the evening’s prayer session.
“Everything was fine before I left the mosque yesterday afternoon and when I returned later that evening, I noticed shattered glass on the floor near our newly installed doors,” Rahman said. “I found a rock lying among the shattered glass and was very surprised that it could have broken through our very strong, double-layered doors,” he said.
The mosque opened on Feb. 16 after an eight-month renovation that began in July 2010.
“This is something that motivates me to create a peace rally,” Rahman said. Rahman said he contacted Rabbi Mark Goldfarb of Temple Beth Ohr and the Rev. Bill Miller of United Methodist Church, relaying the news regarding the incident and his interest in organizing a community peace rally.
A similar incident took place on March 19, one month after the mosque opened.
“Luckily no one was here when the incident took place because someone could have been hurt,” Rahman said. Police are investigating the incident.