Police investigate damage to downtown Chicago Islamic Center door as hate crime
CHICAGO (CBS)-- The door of a Chicago Islamic center was kicked down in The Loop Sunday night, an act police are investigating as a possible hate crime.
Police said a man broke the glass on the side door of the Downtown Islamic Center in the 200 block of South State Street around 8 p.m. as a prayer service was getting underway for Ramadan.
The offender ran off.
Muhammad Nadeem, who works at the center, told CBS 2 it was around 8 p.m. when mosque members had just wrapped up one prayer and were about to begin another when a man, who appeared to be intoxicated, walked in the front entrance.
"He started throwing slurs, racial slurs," Nadeem said.
Surveillance cameras captured the moments, where at one point, witnesses said he wished death to all Muslims.
"Our security guy tried to tackle him, but he went outside," Nadeem said. "He came back with some sort of equipment, and he broke the door, the front door."
The damage caused is worth nearly $1,000, Nadeem said, but it didn't do much to deter worshipers like Enaad Masror.
"It's really sad to see, but the biggest thing is that every time something like this happens, our Muslim community, we just rally together," Masror said.
The incident happened in the middle of Ramadan, considered the holiest month for all Muslims.
"Every American has a right to practice their faith without fear or intimidation and anytime this is challenged, we must make a clear statement," said Salman Azam, executive board member for the Downtown Islamic Center.
Abdullah Mitchell, executive director of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago said, "We cannot let someone use the excuse of inebriation as justification for doing whatever they want to do."
No arrests have been made. The man was described as white, in his late 20s or early 30s and was last seen wearing a white hoodie.
Moving forward, the Downtown Islamic Center said it will be implementing new security measures at the site.