INFIDELS! Christians Worried after Churches Hit with Islamic Vandalism
in Faith, News, Opinion, Videos / by Amanda Shea / on September 1, 2014 at 7:05 pm /
INFIDELS! Christians Worried after Churches Hit with Islamic Vandalism
Several Indiana church buildings were the target of vandalism Saturday night — an apparent first for the town — displaying messages that have residents in the area deeply concerned.
Spray painted on the broadside of Saint Bartholomew’s Catholic Church in Columbus it says, “Infidels!” and included a Koranic reference: “Qur’an 3:151.”
Columbus police are investigating whether the crimes were a prank or part of a more serious and pointed effort to deliver a message to Christian leaders and parishioners, according to WTHR-TV.
What’s of particular concern about the message tagged on Saint Bartholomew is the referenced Qur’an verse reads
“We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down [any] authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.”
Similar messages were also found at Lakeview Church of Christ and East Columbus Christian Church.
Saint Bartholomew faith leader Father Doug Marcotte told WTHR that the motivation for the graffiti is unclear, but the fact that these messages were posted only on Christian churches has caused additional concern and confusion.
“Is there somebody that really believes this that we’re all infidels so they felt the need to write it all over our church?” Is this some sort of nasty prank?,” Marcotte asked. “Is this someone that’s trying to incite people against Muslims? I mean I don’t know.”
Some members of the Islamic community are speaking out against the vandalism and have offered to help remove the messages, including Nassim Khaled who also spends time helping out at a local Islamic center. Khaled believes the message was “misquoted or misinterpreted,” and as such demonstrates the ignorance of the vandals, WXIN-TV reported.
Local authorities continue to investigate who is responsible for the crimes, though they are urging caution. “We encourage people to let us investigate this before jumping to any conclusions,” Columbus Police spokesman Sgt. Matt Harris told the Indianapolis Star. “It’s early on — we just don’t know.”
