'Trump' painted on Waterloo mosque; Muslims urge hate crime investigation

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Worshipers at the Masjid Al-Noor Islamic Center in Waterloo say they found the name "TRUMP" scrawled across the brick building in red spray paint

The vandalism on the mosque's north side was reported Friday evening, Waterloo Police Department Sgt. Robert Greenlee said.

KWWL was the first to report on the story Saturday morning.

There are no suspects at this time, Greenlee said.

A representative from the center was not available for comment.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Iowa chapter announced Saturday that it is urging state and federal authorities to investigate the vandalism as a hate crime.

In a news release, the council said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made Islamophobic statements during his campaign, which the group links to a rise in hate crimes against Islamic institutions and American Muslims.

"Because of Donald Trump's mainstreaming of Islamophobia, and the resulting rise in anti-Muslim bigotry in our society, we urge law enforcement authorities to treat this as a possible hate crime," CAIR-Iowa Executive Director Miriam Amer said in the release.



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