Overview
- A banner at the Islamic Center of Mastic‑Shirley construction site was spray‑painted with a derogatory anti‑Islam message and reported to 911, an act police say likely happened between Friday night and Saturday morning.
- The Suffolk County Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is leading the investigation, canvassing the area for surveillance video, offering a cash reward for information and reporting no public leads so far.
- County Executive Ed Romaine, Governor Kathy Hochul and local lawmakers condemned the vandalism and vowed to pursue those responsible and increase patrols near houses of worship.
- Mosque leaders said the incident will not stop construction of the roughly 30,000–34,000 square‑foot center, that they will boost security, and that they plan public open houses and services such as a large food pantry and a basketball court.
- Advocates including CAIR‑New York pointed to a rise in attacks on Muslim institutions and urged a full investigation, a trend that has prompted wider community outreach and could increase multi‑agency coordination on hate incidents.