Mosque ransacked, robbed
BY JOSEPH RYAN
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, August 19, 2006
A Schaumburg area mosque was burglarized over the weekend, the second break-in in two months.Mosque attendees arrived at the Midwest Islamic Center, 1081 W. Irving Park Road, at 5:30 a.m. Saturday for morning prayers to find the front glass door shattered and an office ransacked, said Rezwanul Haque, the mosque's trustee. Haque said the office walls were smashed with a sledge hammer or crowbar, which were both left at the scene, in an apparent attempt to find a safe. Cash was stolen from an office draw, he said.
Cook County police are investigating the burglary, along with another one that occurred the night of June 19.
"Our officers did recover some evidence at the scene," said Penny Mateck, spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff's department.
The most recent burglary occurred between 11 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday, Haque said. He does not believe discrimination is a factor in either break-ins.
"They are going directly to the money, " he said.
In June, mosque leaders caught two people trying to break open a donation box in the mosque after they broke in through the front glass door, Haque said.
The damage from this weekend's break-in will top $3,000 to repair, Haque estimates. The Islamic center serves more than 10,000 Northwest suburban families.
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, August 19, 2006
A Schaumburg area mosque was burglarized over the weekend, the second break-in in two months.Mosque attendees arrived at the Midwest Islamic Center, 1081 W. Irving Park Road, at 5:30 a.m. Saturday for morning prayers to find the front glass door shattered and an office ransacked, said Rezwanul Haque, the mosque's trustee. Haque said the office walls were smashed with a sledge hammer or crowbar, which were both left at the scene, in an apparent attempt to find a safe. Cash was stolen from an office draw, he said.
Cook County police are investigating the burglary, along with another one that occurred the night of June 19.
"Our officers did recover some evidence at the scene," said Penny Mateck, spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff's department.
The most recent burglary occurred between 11 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday, Haque said. He does not believe discrimination is a factor in either break-ins.
"They are going directly to the money, " he said.
In June, mosque leaders caught two people trying to break open a donation box in the mosque after they broke in through the front glass door, Haque said.
The damage from this weekend's break-in will top $3,000 to repair, Haque estimates. The Islamic center serves more than 10,000 Northwest suburban families.
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 5:20 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home