Local mosque subjected to vandalism and threats
According to a May 2021 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, anti-mosque incidents have spiked since 2005 with New York State being among the leaders with 11 or more. Hicksville’s Faizan-e-Aisha, located on Heitz Place, is the latest name added to this list coming off multiple incidents of vandalism perpetuated against this house of worship in the last month. An Aug. 13 video showed a man with a shovel dumping garbage and human waste all over the front door where congregants place their shoes before entering the mosque. The Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), which is treating this as a bias crime, was not alerted to the incident until Aug. 26 because mosque members of the mosque said the same man returned and threatened people outside who came to the mosque to pray.
Since Faizan-e-Aisha opened a year ago, the nonprofit religious organization has been serving hundreds of individuals every month and offers a wide variety of services to the community. Last year saw the Sunni Masjid and Muslim Center expanding its services and activities to include weekly academic religious programs, Islamic Studies, Arabic classes and free meals every Friday night from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
Elected officials were quick to express their disgust over the situation shortly after the mosque filed its complaint with the NCPD.
“I am outraged over the recent act of hate against the Faizan-e-Aisha Masjid in Hicksville earlier this month,” said Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) in a released statement. “The despicable act of throwing trash mixed with human waste is an attack against us all. I have full faith in our law enforcement and their abilities as they investigate this painful incident. Left unchallenged, hatred will continue to metastasize. We will not stand idly by when confronted by acts of hate against anyone in our community regardless of race or religion. We will all stand together to defeat the primitive impulse that impels violence. As Americans and as New Yorkers, that is our obligation and our responsibility.”
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran jumped on her Twitter account asking anyone with information regarding the incident to alert police investigators.
“There is no place for hatred in Nassau,” she tweeted. “@NassauCountyPD is investigating this incident. Call 1-800-244-8477 with information or visit NassauCounty.CrimeStoppersWeb.com. All tips remain anonymous.”
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) Executive Director Afaf Nasher also weighed in with a statement decrying this recent act of vandalism.
“This type of apparently bias-motivated attack on a house of worship is absolutely unacceptable and should be condemned by political and religious leaders of all backgrounds,’ Nasher said. “As we approach the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, we must all stress national unity and mutual understanding, not division and hatred.”
The investigation is ongoing.
