Anti-Muslim graffiti was found scrawled on the side of a Kensington building Monday, and some local residents are worried the incident will spark racial tensions in the remarkably diverse neighborhood. The graffiti, which was left on the side of TDS Insurance on Beverly Road, declared that "Allah is Shit." The incident is being investigated as a bias crime, and some theorize that the vandalism may be retaliation for a rash of anti-Semitic graffiti left on Jewish homes and establishments in Midwood recently.
"This could be tit for tat," Abu Chowdury, a manager at TDS Insurance, tells Brooklyn Daily, referring to the Midwood incidents. "But we just want to stop it in the community." Kensington is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in NYC, with Bangladeshis and Pakistanis living alongside Mexican families and Orthodox Jews. "It is just shocking," Mamnunul Haq, a Bangladeshi community leader, tells the Daily News. "No one wants to see anything like that. We are a very peaceful people."
Last night there was a candlelight vigil at the intersection of Beverley and Church, the site of some of the graffiti. The gathering was organized by City Councilmember Brad Lander, who wants to plant trees and benches in front of TDS Insurance to create a multi-ethnic gathering place called "Kensington Plaza." In a statement, Lander said, "We will respond vigorously to bigotry targeting any group. Recently, Brooklyn has seen multiple anti-Semitic crimes-and the community has responded with appropriate outrage. Now, in the face of this Islamophobic attack on a member of Kensington’s Bangladeshi community, we must unite again."
