Center for Islamic Life vandalized at Rutgers University in New Brunswick during Eid al-Fitr

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick was vandalized during Eid al-Fitr, the three-day Islamic religious celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

A hateful mess greeted those returning to the Center of Islamic Life, or CILRU, on the campus of Rutgers University. Officers examined all the vandalized rooms for themselves and collected evidence. 

Leaders and investigators believe the timing, at the start of Eid, was not a coincidence. Now, the search is underway for whoever did it.

Watch Dave Carlin's report

Investigators said the break-in took place around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. 

"The sacred space was desecrated. Art pieces with Quranic verses destroyed," said Saad Admani, president of the New Jersey Muslim Lawyer's Association. "For something like this to happen to happen at the end of Ramadan, start of the holiday, it really shows that the university is not doing enough to combat hate, to foster an environment of understanding here at Rutgers."

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy posted on social media that he is "disgusted" by the incident, and the President of Rutgers University sent out an alert to the campus community calling it "a criminal act of bias and hatred."

"I got the RU alert. That's terrible that that happened," one student said. 

"It's a horrible thing to have happen to people. Can't live in peace," another student said. 

"I really hope that whoever did this is not a member of the Rutgers community, because it's not reflective of my experience at Rutgers, and as a Rutgers alum, this is not what I felt here on campus."

One student said, "Muslim students no longer feel truly safe to even exist at Rutgers," during a rally on Thursday.