GLEN ALLEN, Va. — Officials with the West End Islamic Center said the mosque was vandalized for a second time in six months this weekend.
"We have worked with Henrico County officials and our neighbors for over ten years to assist in opening our doors just in time for our Holy month of Ramadan," a post added to the West End Islamic Center's Facebook page Sunday afternoon reads.
Officials said the most recent damage, which happened sometime Saturday between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., was not captured on security cameras.
Officials said they hoped local, state and federal authorities would investigate the damage as a hate crime.
"We feel compelled to speak out against these expressions of hatred. An attack on any house of worship certainly feels like an assault on the community," the post reads.
Rights of all people of faith is a founding principle of America. This attack is incredibly hurtful. It’s hard to imagine that someone would want to attack our place of worship.
We do not know or understand the motivation of the person(s).
What we do know, is that love is stronger than hate, and the members of our Mosque will stand together.
We trust that our neighbors and friends will continue to stand with us and support our community as we worship during this holy month of Ramadan.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
