A mosque in northern Belgium has been vandalised with swastikas and hateful messages, while dog faeces were left outside its entrance.
The vandalism at the Tawfieq Mosque in Schelle, Antwerp province, was discovered by mosque board members on Friday morning, Belgian public broadcaster VRT reported on Sunday.
Swastikas and hateful messages had been painted on the mosque’s door and windows, while dog faeces were scattered in front of the building.
“We were extremely shocked when we discovered the message, the swastikas and dog faeces at our centre,” the board said.
Officials photographed the damage before cleaning the building ahead of Friday prayers and filed a complaint with police against the unknown perpetrators.
‘Muslim hatred in its purest form’
Local police confirmed the incident, saying they were taking it seriously and had launched an investigation to identify those responsible.
Muslim Rights Watch Belgium described the attack as “Muslim hatred in its purest form,” stressing that it should not be treated as an isolated act of vandalism.
“This is not an isolated case of vandalism or an act of ‘troublemaking,’ but a disgusting and explicit expression of Muslim hatred,” the group’s chairman, Mohamed Amin Chaib, said.
The organisation said it would also file a complaint and urged authorities to strengthen security around mosques.
