Mosque Vandalized

MILPITAS MOSQUE VANDALIZED AGAIN - TOPIan Bauer, Milpitas Post, 6/15/06
http://www.themilpitaspost.com/local/ci_3942075
A Milpitas mosque vandalized last month suffered further damage and a burglary this month.Milpitas Police Department is classifying the crimes at Masjid Dar Al-Salaam at 90 Dempsey Road as vandalism and burglary, though a Muslim organization believes the incidents should be investigated as hate crimes.The latest incident at the mosque, which is located in a strip mall, took place between midnight and approximately 5 a.m. June 3.That night, someone smashed a glass window on the south side of the building and stole money from several donation boxes inside the mosque, according to Milpitas police Detective Pete Prolo.Due to the police investigation, Prolo wouldn't say how much was stolen."It was a very, very small amount," he said.Damage to the mosque included a smashed 8-foot by 8-foot window. The cost to replace the window was unknown, police said.A previous incident at the mosque that Milpitas police say was vandalism and not a burglary occurred May 16, reported at about 5 a.m.That morning, a member of Masjid Dar Al-Salaam discovered a side glass door was smashed, with broken glass strewn on the ground.No loss was reported. Damage to the door was estimated at $350.The incidents at Masjid Dar Al-Salaam have garnered strong interest from the San Francisco-Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.Sameena Usman, a spokesperson for the group, said the incidents have created an atmosphere of fear among area Muslims."The Muslim community has a fear of being targeted," she said, adding Masjid Dar Al-Salaam had been the victim of a documented hate crime incident a few years ago. (MORE)