Muslim leaders worry after Huntington mosque vandalism

Muslim leaders on Long Island said Tuesday that they are concerned about anti-Muslim bias after two recent bottle-throwing incidents at a Huntington mosque.

Religious leaders and Suffolk police were to meet Wednesday morning at Masjid Noor mosque on Park Avenue to discuss the incidents, as well as issues of community relations and communication with law enforcement, officials said.

"It is troubling and it's something we're taking seriously," said Nayyar Imam, chairman of the Muslim Alliance of Long Island and Suffolk police's Muslim chaplain.

For the second time in less than a week, detectives with Suffolk's hate crimes unit were called to the mosque on Monday night after a bottle containing nails and screws was smashed in the parking lot. Except for the type of bottle, the incident was "exactly the same" as an occurrence in the same spot last week, said Det. Sgt. Robert Reecks.

A small group was outside the mosque last Wednesday when they heard glass smash a few dozen yards away, he said. They found nails, screws and a shattered tomato sauce bottle. The group saw a car drive away, but was unable to provide a description of the vehicle or the driver, Reecks said. The container thrown Monday was a liter vodka bottle.

Mamoon Iqbal, 31, of Dix Hills, a mosque management committee member, said during Ramadan, the monthlong Muslim observance that ended last month, volunteers helping with parking also found broken glass in the parking lot. No report was made to police until after the Wednesday incident, he said.

Ibrahim Ahmad, the center's imam, said in an interview Tuesday the mosque sought police help "when we saw that the bottle had nails," and people grew worried that the attacks were escalating and became concerned attackers "might do something worse."

Tuesday night, parents picking up children at the mosque said they were disturbed by the incidents. "We want a safe environment for our kids. When we come here, we want to feel safe," said Abid Rana, 45, of Huntington.

Tuesday, a national Muslim civil liberties advocacy group urged beefed-up enforcement. "We urge local law enforcement authorities to step up patrols in the area of the mosque and again ask the FBI to add its resources to the investigation of these disturbing incidents," said Faiza Ali of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Citing "a fine line" between extra patrols and creating the impression among mosque goers that they were being watched, Reecks declined to say if more officers would be assigned. "We will do due diligence," he said.

Habeeb Ahmed, board head of the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury, said he hoped "this is some kids who think it's a small prank and not something else."

He said there has been concern about anti-Muslim bias sparked by the debate over the planned Islamic center near Ground Zero in Manhattan, but he was not aware of other recent incidents at Long Island mosques. He said his and other Muslim communities have good relations with police in both counties and most neighbors. "I'm very confident that the police will do what needs to be done," he said.

"I don't like it," said David Phillips, who has lived next door to the mosque since it opened in 2000, of the recent incidents. "I don't know what motivates people to do things like that. It accomplishes nothing."

Jason Oakley, 34, also lives near the mosque. "They come, they worship and they go home," said Oakley, who's lived at his current home near the mosque for two years. "They should be left alone."

With Nomaan Merchant

and Matthew Chayes