Rutgers Center For Islamic Life Vandalized; Palestinian Flag Stolen

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Center for Islamic Life on Rutgers main campus in New Brunswick was broken into and vandalized Wednesday morning in an act Gov. Phil Murphy said he was "disgusted" to hear of.

Rutgers Police said force was used to break into the building at 122 College Avenue shortly after 4:30 a.m., and the damage included:

• Windows were shattered;
• two flat-screen TVs were damaged;
• a printer was shattered;
• art pieces containing verses from the Quran were broken in half.

The Muslim center shared photos of the damage on their Facebook and Instagram page. The vandalism took place on Eid el Fitr, the most holy of all Muslim holidays. Eid started Tuesday night and lasted into Wednesday.

The center also had a Palestinian flag hanging indoors in their front hallway. The flag is now gone.

"The only thing that was stolen was the Palestinian flag," said center director Atiya Aftab. "Everything else was just destroyed and smashed. We deliberately did not put the Palestinian flag outdoors. We did not want to provoke anyone on campus. We are respectful of everyone's opinions. That's what's so disturbing."

She said the damage was discovered at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday by a cleaning crew. She said she could not answer when asked how Rutgers Police knew the break-in happened in the 4 a.m. hour, but would only say "Rutgers Police have video."

The suspects got into the building by breaking glass at the front door, and then reached inside to unlock it.

"Every single room was touched. The place was ransacked," continued Aftab. "I can't even believe what kind of force it took to smash the television. We had sacred porcelain objects smashed all over the floor. It's troubling that text from our sacred Quran was smashed in half. That's obviously a message."

Aftab said while she does not want to speculate who did this, she does think this is retaliation for the center's public calls to end Israel's war in Gaza.

"I don't think it can be anything beside that," she said. "We believe in a political solution, not a military solution. We are standing up for the 40,000 people who have been massacred."

This video, provided by the center, shows the damage:

"If you want to come debate us, come," said Aftab. "This is a campus university, a marketplace of ideas. We respect the First Amendment and freedom of speech. But don't come and destroy our center presumably because you disagree with the positions we've taken."

Aftab said her group will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday at the center.

Murphy said he was "disgusted" by the vandalism, and that "Islamophobia has NO place in New Jersey." NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin called the vandalism "appalling."

Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway said it was "horrifying."

"This despicable act, committed during Eid, cannot stand. We must be better than this," said the university president.

Even Rutgers Police released a statement, saying "At Rutgers, hatred and bigotry have no place, nor should they have a place anywhere in the world."

Platkin said detectives from his office are currently working with Rutgers Police, State Police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office "to hold those involved accountable."

Rutgers Police are calling this a burglary, criminal mischief and bias crime. Rutgers Police ask that anyone with information, or who may have been in the area at the time, contact their Detective Bureau at 848-932-8025.

A student group called Students for Justice in Palestine called what happened "a clear threat to the Muslim and Arab student body, and a pathetic act of cowardice."

"Rutgers has consistently dismissed our concerns about violence. Let us not forget President Holloway's incompetence in acknowledging that our safety is compromised by those who falsely accuse us of being a threat, a label we reject," the student group said. "The timing of this attack, at the end of the month of Ramadan and the night of Eid, is not a coincidence. This lesson is one we draw from our fellow brothers and sisters in Palestine, whose strength and resilience inspire us ... Material objects can always be replaced, but our spirit cannot be shaken."

Those who have experienced a bias incident in New Jersey are encouraged to report it to their local police departments or via the NJBIAS portal at https://bias.njcivilrights.gov, or by calling 800-277-BIAS.