A man shattered the glass door of a mosque in the Loop Sunday night after verbally harassing worshippers.
The unknown man kicked in the front door of the Downtown Islamic Center on the 200 block of South State Street at around 8 p.m. He fled on foot, according to police. No arrests have been made.
Executive board member Salman Azam said the man had been loitering near the mosque’s entrance and making Islamaphobic comments. He tried to enter the building before shattering the glass.
“Seeing what transpired last night, we’re pretty frightened, and rightfully so,” Azam said.
The vandalism comes amid Ramadam, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. Around 600 to 700 people pray at the mosque each day, according to Azam.
The broken glass was cleaned up Monday morning, but the front door remains boarded up.
“It’s sad to see that these things still occur,” Azam said. “We really feel all houses of worship are safe beacons, where people should feel safe at all times.”
Azam said the mosque plans to report the vandalism as a hate crime to the FBI. He remains that hopeful that the assailant is identified by police.
“We’re trying to be vigilant, and we hope that the community can help us apprehend this person so that people think twice about committing a hate crime,” Azam said.
