DES MOINES – Donald Trump wasn’t there, but a liberal political group in Iowa is blaming his rhetoric during the presidential campaign after a mosque in Waterloo was vandalized with his name this weekend.
A mosque in Waterloo was vandalized with the name “Trump” spray-painted in red, members of the community discovered Saturday morning.
Matt Sinovic, Executive Director of Progress Iowa, released the following statement:
“The vandalism of the Waterloo mosque Masjid Al Noor is despicable and unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is also not surprising, during an election season when demeaning the Muslim faith has become a central focus for Donald Trump. He has done so while enjoying the full support of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and nearly every Republican party official.
“Donald Trump has made hate speech a common place occurrence in our public discourse. And the support given to him by Iowa’s elected officials gives that hate speech their stamp of approval. We are seeing the sad consequences of this hate speech grow by the day. Bullying is on the rise in our schools. A right wing terrorist plot to attack a mosque in Kansas was just thwarted this week. Now this place of worship has been vandalized.
“I hope that local law-enforcement can move swiftly to determine who did this, and ensure the safety of their community. I also hope that all of our political leaders take seriously how their words can influence and insight the actions of others.
According to a website for the mosque, the Waterloo-Cedar falls Islamic Community Center-Masjid Al-Noor was established over thirty five years ago to serve a small Islamic community in the Cedar Valley area. The site claims the “number of Muslim families and individuals has grown dramatically during the past 15-20 years through the influx of refugees from Bosnia.”
Some are calling for a hate crime investigation into the vandalism incident.
The Iowa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Iowa) today called on state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate vandalism targeting a mosque in that state as a possible hate crime.
CAIR-Iowa said the vandalism was the latest in a series of hate incidents targeting mosques and Islamic centers nationwide in the past few days.
Worshipers at the Waterloo-Cedar falls Islamic Community Center-Masjid Al-Noor report that the word “Trump” was painted on the mosque. A police report about the vandalism has been filed.
Donald Trump remains ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the polls in Iowa. Who leads the national race is debatable, as polls show both with leads.
