CINCINNATI — Just days after a local Islamic center found out that vandals had torn through its building, their community and interfaith leaders across the Cincinnati area came together to stand up against hate.
As Islamic Center Board Member Nashid Shakir approached the podium during the news conference, he opened with a brief prayer.
"May the peace of God have for you, be given to you on this day," Shakir said as he explained the translation.
Shakir was one of several speakers, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Ohio Director Khalid Turaani.
“To the community of this mosque, we are you, we are with you. We will not allow this kind of intimidation to stand," Turaani said.
Watch to see the message from local and interfaith leaders following a local Islamic center being vandalized:
“We have zero tolerance for hate; zero tolerance for hate crimes," Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said.
Wednesday, we saw the damage firsthand. Shattered glass was scattered across the floor, tables were flipped, holes were smashed into the wall and windows were broken.
I asked Shakir about his thoughts from when he first saw the vandalism.
"My god, what is it that you’re trying to tell us?" Shakir said.
Shakir also said that a camera was destroyed, the center's food pantry was torn apart and windows had to be boarded up.
After the news conference, I spoke with Shakir's son Isa. He explained what it meant to have the support of the wider Cincinnati faith community to help the Islamic Center.
"It was very encouraging and inspiring to see the local community come out," Isa Shakir said.
He said that he tried to explain what happened to his 2 young sons, and told me how they responded.
“When we were coming up, and I was explaining what happened and asked, Why would someone do that? And I said, they wanted to scare us, because we’re Muslim. But what my oldest son said was that, but they can’t scare us, because Muslims are strong," Isa Shakir said.
A Cincinnati Police Department spokesperson told me there have not been any arrests made and had no other updates on the investigation.
