Muslim leaders increase security after vandalism reports at Texas and California mosques

Source: Associated Press

Muslim leaders increase security after vandalism reports at Texas and California mosques

By MARIAM FAM
Updated 7:53 AM EDT, July 26, 2025

After a spate of vandalism reports involving graffiti at a few mosques in Texas and California, Muslim leaders there have stepped up existing efforts to keep their sacred spaces and community members safe.

The incidents and subsequent hypervigilance add to what many American Muslims say has already been a charged climate amid the fallout in the U.S. from the Israel-Hamas war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated Gaza. The war started in October 2023 with a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel.

“The past two years have been extremely difficult for American Muslims,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

A constant stream of images showing the death, destruction and ongoing starvation in Gaza has taken a toll, said Mitchell, as has a rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian bigotry in the U.S.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-mosque-vandalism-security-israel-hamas-gaza-7bc019ee7e2d49f70869f9147edfce14