Islamic center at Rutgers University broken into, trashed during Eid al-Fitr, authorities say
The vandalism came days after anti-Israel agitators interrupted a town hall at the New Jersey campus
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Jersey was broken into and trashed overnight, days after anti-Israel agitators interrupted a town hall and Jewish students had to be ushered out by police.
A video posted online by the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) shows glass shattered on the floor as well as damage to televisions, printers and artwork with Quranic verses.
"This reprehensible act, occurring on our sacred day, is undoubtedly fueled by Islamophobia is clearly a hate crime targeting our Muslim population at Rutgers," a CILRU statement said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Palestinian flag was ripped from a pole, said CILRU Imam Kaiser Aslam, who shared a video of the aftermath of the break-in. The vandalism occurred sometime between Tuesday night and early Wednesday, the Rutgers Police Department said.
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Glass and what appears to be a broken lamp on the floor of the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University. (Imam Kaiser Aslam of CILRU)
No one was in the building at the time, police said. The incident happened on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, a three-day holiday that follows the fasting month of Ramadan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he was "disgusted" to learn of the incident.
"There is a criminal investigation underway and we are working with Rutgers and law enforcement to ensure the safety of our Muslim students. Islamophobia has NO place in New Jersey," he wrote on X.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said he was aware of the vandalism. He said "acts of hate against the Muslim community" won't be tolerated. Platkin said his office was working with the Rutgers police, the New Jersey State Police, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, the Division of Criminal Justice and the Division on Civil Rights to investigate the matter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}COLUMBIA PROF WHO CALLED OUT CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM SAYS SCHOOL INVESTIGATING HIM
An office at the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University was trashed by a vandal. (Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University)
"We will continue to work tirelessly, using every tool at our disposal to ensure that all New Jerseyans live without fear, knowing that our state's diversity is supported, protected and embraced," he said.
The incident came days after anti-Israel agitators interrupted a town hall at the university last week, prompting President Jonathan Holloway to end the session early.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A student told Fox News Digital that Jewish students had to be ushered out of the event by police.
The town hall was hosted by the Rutgers University Student Assembly, which had also put two BDS – boycott, divest and sanction – referendums up for a vote on severing ties with Tel Aviv University and divesting from anything connected to Israel.
The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University was vandalized overnight, officials said Wednesday. (Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s been a tough couple of months since Oct. 7 at Rutgers," Joe Gindi, a Jewish student who attended the town hall, told Fox News Digital. "I was not prepared for a protest. No Jewish students brought banners or flags, no Jewish students shouted or anything or disrupted the event. We were just there to hear a town hall."
Rutgers police have not released a description of any suspects connected to the vandalism of the Islamic Center on campus.
Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson contributed to this report.