RI Mosque Vandalized in Wake of Nice Attacks

Kingston, RI — A mosque in Kingston was vandalized Thursday night, and state and national Muslim leaders are calling for law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

A window was smashed and someone sprayed "Muhammad prophet of butchers" on the Muslim Community Center of Kingston's Masjid Al-Hoda on Fortin Road.

The incident occurred some time after the horrific attack in France that killed at least 80 people when a truck plowed into a crowd of revelers in Nice.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the U.S.'s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, condemned the Nice attacks and warned that anti-Muslim rhetoric is un-American.

The group condemned Newt Gingrich's recent comments calling for religious testing and the deportation of those who believe in Sharia law, a suggestion that could be compared to the removal of Jews from Nazi territories during World War II.

"We will not let ourselves be divided by turning on each other or by throwing away the principles of justice and religious inclusion on which our nation was founded,” said CAIR-MA Executive Director John Robbins. “We call for stepped-up protection of America’s Islamic institutions and for the repudiation of calls to hate and division by irresponsible public figures.”

CAIR said it has called for unity against ISIS and repeatedly condemned all acts of terror by people who are using the Musilm faith to cloak their evil.

Police are investigating the vandalism.

More details will be posted.