Pomona Mosque Vandalized

July 28, 2005

Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~21481~2986355,00.html

On July 28, 2005 the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported, "In the process of an apparent burglary in which [members of Ahlul-Beyt Mosque] found no signs of forced entry, classroom doors were torn from their hinges and smashed through, a coin-operated phone was ripped from the wall and chairs were assembled around a television that had been dragged into the prayer room... An iron fence in the playground... was ripped from a stone wall.

Dozens of burned matches and a piece of burned cardboard were found in the back of the mosque.

A CD cover featuring a scantily clad woman was hanging on a prayer poster in the prayer room.

In addition, the suspects wrote 'The Killers Suck' on a white board in a classroom. 'The Killers' could be the alternative rock band with the same name because the initials MCR and words 'My Chemical Romance' another band were also scrawled on the white board...

things were destroyed 'senselessly,' [Ridha Hajjar, mosque president] said, causing roughly $7,000 in damage. A donation box with an unknown amount of cash was also stolen...

It is unknown if the apparent burglary and vandalism will be investigated as a hate crime."