A mosque is vandalized, and leaders are calling it a hate crime
A South Florida mosque was defaced Thursday morning with profane phrases spray-painted on signs.
Someone parked at the Al Amin Islamic Center, at 7947 South Military Trail in Boynton Beach, around 12:40 a.m. and painted “F--- Islam” and “F--- ISIS” on either side of the sign.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the vandalism a hate crime. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Read More: Four Muslim-American families living in South Florida share their hopes and fears
South Florida is no stranger to anti-Islamic acts.
The hateful message on the Islamic Center’s sign is similar to the words painted in bright red on at Nur-Ul-Islam Academy in Cooper City in 2015 and the violent, racist email sent to the Islamic Center of Greater Miami in Miami Gardens the same weekend.
Read More: Miami Gardens mosque, Islamic school in Cooper City targeted in hateful acts
Earlier this year, police charged a man with arson with a hate-crime enhancement after the Fort Pierce mosque that Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen attended was set on fire.
Alex Harris: 305-376-5005, @harrisalexc
This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 2:33 PM with the headline "A mosque is vandalized, and leaders are calling it a hate crime."