Islamic graffiti continues to pop up throughout Windsor.
As you heard on AM800 News, activists spent Thanksgiving weekend covering up spray-painted hate-speech all over Malden Park, Huron Church Rd., and along several bus routes in Windsor. That graffiti was directed at Muslims, stating "Islam=ISIS" in one example.
More hate speech has popped up in parks along the riverfront, but some graffiti states, "#Islam Will Rule The World Hosea 4.6, #57 Muslim Nations, and #Sharia Over The UN." All the graffiti has similar handwriting and is in the same colour.
Windsor Islamic Council Chair Maher El-Masri tells AM800 News it's important not to counter hate with hate.
"Let us not fall in the trap of hate and division. Let us stick to our unity and love," he says..
Windsor police Sergeant Steve Betteridge tweeted, "Defacing property is a crime — when its purpose is to divide our community, it is even more concerning."
The similar handwriting leads El-Masri to believe it's someone, or some-people seeking to cause unrest.
"Whoever is doing this graffiti, you can clearly tell is a malicious person or a group who are trying to spread hate and division in our community when we need unity and love the most," he says.
While El-Masri wants police to find who's defacing property with malicious intentions, he says people shouldn't give the graffiti power by giving it attention it doesn't deserve.
"These cheap shots that try to divide us will fail," he says. "By sticking together, by rejecting these messages of hate, or even division, we will prevail and these matters will never succeed to divide us."
El-Masri says the vast majority of Muslims feel welcome in Windsor and will continue to be a positive part of the community.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Windsor police or Crime Stoppers.