A mosque in Middlesex County is calling for an investigation after a truck with anti-Muslim imagery was seen circling several Islamic centers in the state.
One of the incidents happened Saturday afternoon at the Muslim Center of Middlesex County in Piscataway during a large gathering. The incident left members concerned and even scared that someone could come to a place of worship to intimidate and harass its members.
The truck features a digital billboard that displayed images of the 2008 Mumbai, India attacks. The truck circled the property several times before leaving.
A similar incident happened several hours later at the North Brunswick Islamic Center. A third mosque in Edison may have also been targeted.
Mosque leaders and members of the Council on American Islamic Relations called on local officials and law enforcement officers to take the incidents seriously.
“This is an attempt to intimidate the Muslim community. This is a coordinated effort to cause disruption and maybe cast shame or blame on the Muslim community for an incident that happened long ago in another country and has nothing to do with the people that are here residing in this state, says Selaedin Maksut, executive director of CAIR-NJ. ‘We’re calling on elected officials in these cities and towns and the county to condemn this incident.”
News 12 New Jersey is told that the driver of the truck was a woman. The truck may have had Pennsylvania license plates and may have been coming from an event in New York.
CAIR-NJ is asking for mosques to help in the investigation by reviewing their surveillance videos to see if there is any evidence that could assist police officers.