Milpitas, California Mosque Vandalized Again
Posted Jun 8, 2006

(Milpitas, CA, 06/07/2006) The San Francisco-Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) received report that the Milpitas Mosque has been vandalized a second time. On Saturday, June 3rd, 2006 at approximately 5:19 AM, the Milpitas Police Department received a call from mosque members reporting a burglary. For the second time in a month, witnesses discovered the intrusion while attending Fajr morning prayers at Masjid Dar Al-Salaam, located on 90 Dempsey Road in Milpitas.

Mohammad Nada, board member of Dar Al-Salaam, reported a shattered glass wall, a cracked side door, and broken donation boxes. Most of the money was collected by the mosque prior to the break-in. “The Milpitas Police examined finger prints on the donation boxes,” stated Nada. “The officer mentioned that the motive is clearly money and does not think that hate is involved. CAIR-SFBA urged this incident be treated as a possible hate crime in light of the second vandalism.

The first incident of vandalism at the Mosque occurred May 16, 2006 when morning worshippers discovered the front glass door of the mosque shattered. Another incident of vandalism occurred at a mobile home property owned by Masjid Dar Al-Salaam 2-3 years ago. The property was sprayed with anti-Muslim graffiti and the teenagers involved were apprehended.

Detective Pete Prolo of the Milpitas Police Department had visited the mosque Monday to inspect the crime scene. Although the Milpitas Police Department does not believe this to be a hate crime, they have increased their patrols and officer shifts for the mosque. “We have visited the Mosque yesterday and are working with the Imam and board members to share crime prevention tips,” explained Detective Prolo. He continues that all leads are being investigated and additional monitoring has been set up. “I am taking the matter very seriously. We are investigating all leads.” The Mosque is looking into acquiring motion lighting and an alarm system to ensure that the mosque is well protected against future attacks.

TAKE ACTION:
The Milpitas Police department encourages anyone with information about the identity of the person responsible for the crime to contact them at 408-586-2400 or their local law enforcement agency.