Vandals target Islamic Center of Murfreesboro with bacon, profanity
More than five years of relative calm was broken this week at the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro by vandals who spray-painted profanity on the mosque and draped its door handles with bacon.
Green graffiti messages with expletives were spray-painted in three places on the exterior of the mosque, located at 2605 Veals Road just outside Murfreesboro city limits.
One of the messages was on a side door, another was on the back side, and another was scrawled across the basketball court behind the main building. Messages also were spelled out with slices of bacon, and bacon was wrapped around one of the exterior doors. Muslims refrain from eating pork.
"The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is deeply troubled and saddened by the expression of anti-Muslim hatred and vandalism against our house of worship and community this morning," said Saleh Sbenaty, ICM spokesman. "We truly appreciate the immediate show of support and solidarity from our neighbors, interfaith partners and the community at large. However, we are still saddened that this happened in the first place."
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office investigated the crime and have contacted federal authorities, said Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin.
“We are looking for anyone with information about people who may have talked about defiling the mosque,” Goodwin said.
People who have any information or neighbors on Veals Lane who may have seen something strange Sunday night or Monday morning are asked to call Goodwin at 615-904-3034.
Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has been the center of controversy for nearly a decade. The ICM was formerly housed in a small facility on Middle Tennessee Boulevard. But in May 2010, a Rutherford County judge approved construction of a new center in the current location on Veals Road.
A contingent of community members took the matter to court to halt construction and the ICM became embroiled in a legal battle.
ICM finally opened the current facility on Aug. 10, 2012. The 12,000-square-foot center will become part of a 53,000-square-foot facility complete with athletic fields. Currently there is a basketball court as well as a picnic pavilion and playground.
Harassment, threats date back to 2010
Along the way, ICM has been the subject of threats, harassment and vandalism, including a 2011 bomb threat by a Texas man. Two signs at the site were damaged shortly after construction was approved in 2010.
In August 2010, federal agents were called to the ICM after someone poured flammable liquid on four pieces of construction equipment and ignited them at the site.
At least $4,000 in cash donations were stolen from the ICM on July 6, 2016, after the mosque's celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
CAIR spokesman: Use of bacon 'deliberate act of hate'
The vandalism in Murfreesboro is a part of a national spike in bias-motivated crimes against mosques and Muslims, said Corey Saylor, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The national advocacy organization tracks incidents of bias; those are primarily self-reported.
“Unfortunately some people claim that Islamophobia is something that we make up. We report numbers on these things to show people that what we’re talking about is a real phenomenon that’s growing and has actual human consequences,” Saylor said.
Those numbers jumped from about 20 incidents in 2014 to more than 100 in 2016, Saylor said. As of June 27, CAIR had already received reports of 59 incidents, he said.
“I think just across the board there has been a rise in anger and hatred that’s manifested itself in people acting against minorities,” Saylor said.
Given the tumultuous and high-profile history of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Saylor was not surprised to hear it was a target again. He also said the spray-painted expletives and pork products are commonly used by the vandals targeting mosques.
“There’s enough of an understanding of Islam to know that Muslims don’t eat pork and to give them the sense that what they’re doing would make Muslims feel like the place had been defiled,” Saylor said. “It’s a deliberate act of hate against the Muslim community.”
►More: Expert: Hate groups rising in Tennessee
The vandalism runs counter to Tennessee’s Southern hospitality and does damage to the state’s welcoming culture, said Paul Galloway, executive director for the Nashville-based American Muslim Advisory Council.
“Now we have to go back and restore and untarnish that welcoming image,” Galloway said.
It’s not uncommon for Muslims and mosques in Tennessee to be targeted. In addition to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro’s legal battle, Galloway pointed to vandalism at various Nashville mosques and the arson that destroyed the Islamic Center of Columbia.
“Tennessee has a history of these kind of incidents,” Galloway said. “At the same time, we have a history of good people coming out and saying that’s not who we are. We try to remain hopeful in spite of these kinds of displays of hate.”
The incidents also bring people of goodwill together, he said.
“They’re not going to separate us from our friends, our neighbors, people of other faiths,” Galloway said. “They’re actually bringing us closer together and they’re also increasing the resoluteness of our community to be who we are.”
Murfreesboro Muslims plan community vigil
Hate crimes have not stopped Murfreesboro Muslims from doing acts of kindness. Each year the Murfreesboro Muslim Youth do various service projects, including donating food to local homeless shelters as well as giving funds to charities.
“We hope that this incident is not a setback to all the progress we have made in our community since the opposition we faced when we built our new facility just a few years ago. We are certain that this incident will reinforce our unity and will not negatively impact our beautiful city and county,” Sbenaty said.
The public is invited to show support at a vigil set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the ICM, on the corner of Bradyville Pike and Veals Road.
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"We invite all people of goodwill to join us," Sbenaty said.
"We hope this incident will help all of us unite to restore and reinforce our reputation as a welcoming city, which is what truly makes Murfreesboro and Tennessee great."
Reach Nancy De Gennaro at degennaro@dnj.com or 615-278-5148 and on Twitter @NanDeGennaro.
Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.
If you go
What: Love Your Neighbor potluck picnic
Hosted by: Murfreesboro Muslim Youth and Murfreesboro Cold Patrol
When: 3 p.m. July 30
Where: Barfield Crescent Park, pavilion 7, 697 Veterans Parkway, Murfreesboro
Cost: Free, open to anyone; bring a dish or item to share