This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1086

Assadiq Islamic Center scrawled with name of hosted neo Nazi speaker while prosecution is vowed "irregardless of a person's faith"

September 16, 2005

MIM: It is worth noting that many alleged vandalism cases against Muslim owned institutions and businesses have later proved to have been self perpetrated,which makes the police vow to prosecute the perpetrator "irregardless of their faith" an interesting caveat , combined with the fact that Florida was experiencing the aftermath of a hurricane on August 25th, and many people did not have electricity for days and had been advised to stay at home because of debris on the roads.

The Assadiq Islamic Educational Foundation has been out of the news lately, and this incident has spawned a press conference and an 'interfaith gathering' at the mosque which indicates that the faux pas of bringing neo Nazi's to Boca Raton may be forgiven.

Bill Gralnick, of the American Jewish Committee, who denounced Assadiq for bringing Baker, but made sure he didnt appear to be condemning anyone outright, was on had to assure Qazwini that his organisation supported the mosque, in it's hour of dire need.

Needless to say, no one has yet to questioned whether the alleged vandalism was a ploy designed to get the mosque in the public eye as victims, and exploit the publicity and interfaith concern for Da'wa purposes.

Directly after 9/11 Imam Ibrahim Dremali former Imam of the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, claimed he had been threatened with death by some locals in a pick up truck with American flags waving from the car who had followed him home from the mosque.

Dremalis alleged attackers were never found, but karate black belt Dremali continued to milk the story for all the victimhood it was worth, even claiming that he had left Boca Raton for Des Moines as a result !

The Boca News article refers to "local anti Muslim extremists" who sparked the protests against neo Nazi William Baker's appearence at what Assadiq claimed was a 'bridgebuilding exercise' with the community, namely a celebration at the Boca Marriott to mark the birth of Mohammed. The event quickly became a public relations debacle when it was revealed that the Mayor of Boca Raton, who is Jewish, and the Mayor of Coral Gables, whose wife is Jewish, were both listed as guests of honor at the event.

Both mayors publicly 'disinvited themselves' and Assadiq Center kept Baker as a speaker while the event took place with an army of media outside the hotel. Shortly thereafter Assadiq's website all but disappeared and all of Qazwini's lectures were removed. It seems to have taken a 'hate crime' to bring them out of the woodwork to show themselves as victims".

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Police probe ‘hate crime' vandalism at Boca mosque

Published Thursday, September 15, 2005
by By Dale M. King

Vandalism at a Muslim education center in east Boca is being classified as a ‘hate crime."

On two occasions – Aug. 25 and last Monday night – vandals threw large rocks through glass doors of the Assidiq Islamic Education Foundation on East Palmetto Park Road a few blocks from State Road A1A.

On one occasion, someone used red spray paint to plaster "4Baker" on the side of the building. Sayed Mohammad Jawad Qazwini, the imam, or religious leader at the education center, said it was an apparent reference to a speaker whose appearance at an AIEF-sponsored event earlier this year sparked protests from local anti-Muslim extremists.
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A contingent of law enforcement and interfaith religious leaders gathered at the center Thursday to decry the incident and to call for full prosecution of the perpetrators.

Boca Raton Police Chief Andrew Scott said the purpose of the conference was "to condemn the act of vandalism and to show that these acts, regardless of the person's faith, will not be tolerated."

Scott said he has contacted the FBI to assist with the investigation.

The crowd Thursday gathered in the small Muslim education center where large holes are still visible in two of the doors. The rocks that smashed the glass were found on the floor by a secretary when she arrived Tuesday morning. The force damaged the Venetian blinds on the doors.

Bill Gralnick, southeast regional director of the American Jewish Congress, was on hand Thursday to say the organization "supports the prosecution" of the perpetrators.

No clues to the identity of the vandals have been found, the imam said.

Officer Lori Croy of BRPD, the crime prevention officer, said she came to "assess the security risk" of the building. She said the vandals did not get inside the structure.

She said the incident appears to be "more than a random act by juveniles."

Imam Qazwini said he came to Boca two years ago from California and started the education center. He said he lectures and conducts services, some of which draw as many as 100 people or more.

Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at [email protected].

This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1086