SF District Lawyer Chesa Boudin Tweets Help after San Francisco’s Oldest Mosque Vandalized

Chesa Boudin at a rally in October

From Paige Laver

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Late last week, a beer bottle was thrown through one of the windows of San Francisco’s oldest mosque, rocking members of the local Muslim community.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin tweeted his support for the Muslim community: “I am shocked to learn of this recent attack on the SF Islamic Center. Attacks on our Muslim community and any religious community are unacceptable. There is no place for hatred in San Francisco. There is no place for hatred in California. There’s no room for hatred anywhere. “

Police reported to the San Francisco Islamic Center at around 11:48 p.m. Friday, the San Francisco Police Department said to McClatchy News.

Friday is an important day in the Islamic community, a day of prayer for those who hold services throughout the day.

There were people in the mosque during the attack and one person said he and others heard the sound of glass breaking at the time, police and intelligence reported, although the CBS San Francisco resident reported no one was there was in the building.

Executives serving on the board of directors of the San Francisco Islamic Center said it seldom happens that a crime is committed against their place of worship on the corner of Crescent Avenue and Andover Street in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

“We are afraid, we were insecure, we did not understand what happened because we have not seen anything like this in our community for a long time,” said Shahbaz Shaikh, a scholar based in the mosque. “We’re part of this community, we’re part of the Bernal Heights community.”

San Francisco police reported that the suspect threw a bottle of beer into a glass window, breaking it, and ran away from the scene.

Shaikh told KPIX that on Sunday a member of the mosque happened to approach the building to return supplies and heard the sound of glass shattering.

“We’re not sure what that person’s intention was, you know, we’re scared,” said Zuhaib Siddique, a board member of the mosque. “As a Muslim community we are of course a little scared.”

The police have not identified a motive for the crime but are actively investigating the case.

The bottle not only stained the carpet with beer, but also scattered glass on the floor. Siddique said they are about to order a new window to replace the broken one.

The mosque is getting an updated security system to prevent incidents like this one. Its members have already offered to help with the costs and the neighborhood has expressed support after learning of the crime.

Surveillance tapes showed someone ran away that night, but the footage is not clear enough to identify a suspect, authorities said.

“The community is shaken and we want to take the time to ask the San Francisco police to do their due diligence and really capture the person who committed this crime,” added Shaikh. “In this community they see us not only as Muslim neighbors, but as neighbors and as part of the community.”

Siddique told KPIX on Sunday that the mosque dates back to the 1950s and is one of the oldest in the state of California. Members who have prayed there for decades say they cannot remember another crime like this that happened at the mosque since September 11th. It is not just a place of worship, but an important place for families to gather for celebrations and funerals.

“A prayer center, it’s a community center, it’s a home for Muslims. When we are attacked like this, we feel like our home has been attacked, ”said Shaikh.

As the mosque takes steps to make its members feel safe, community leaders also hope that the suspect will learn more about their community and face the consequences, including responsibility for their actions.

“We hope to open up more dialogue. We hope that the person who did this will one day visit the mosque and sit down with us learn from us, ”said Siddique.

Prayers continued over the weekend and members came all day on Sunday. The employees have masked the window for the time being until it can be replaced.

“This is our home and we will continue as usual,” said Shaikh.