Vandals hit Muslim center Sept. 11

08:36 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 13, 2005

By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA-TV

WFAA-TV

Standing near a broken window, Ahmed Elmalky said the vandalism "broke his heart."

Many Muslims have expressed concern after a Sept. 11 break-in at the Islamic Center of Irving.

On Sunday, someone smashed the windows of portable classrooms used by students in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

The crime came at the end of two weeks of the center donating not just money, but shipping several trucks of food, supplies and medicine after Hurricane Katrina.

"We teach our children to respect themselves and others," said teacher Renee Atuon. "When they see this, they don't understand where that came from."

Police said while the suspects did leave prints and blood, nothing was missing or taken.

To the people who worship and gather at the Islamic Center of Irving, the vandalism was disheartening and disappointing.

"(It's sad) to see these kinds of things still happen," Ahmed Elmalky said. "But, I think it's a result of ignorance."

With regard to this being a hate crime, police said that there isn't any proof of that yet. However, many in the Muslim community said the date and location the vandals chose seemed more than a coincidence.

"It really broke my heart because, as an American, I hate to see hatred within a community," said Atuon.

E-mail bhawkins@wfaa.com