Canada: Islam Themed Messages Spray-Painted On Bus Shelters, Windsor Star Building

From Blackburn News

Police in Windsor are investigating after someone spray-painted several bus shelters and the Windsor Star building with Islam themed messages.

The messages on the bus shelters along Ouellette Ave. in downtown Windsor say, “Islam executes drug dealers”, and “#ShariaNow”. They also refer to a passage in the Biblical Book of Revelations.

In the King James Bible, the passage reads, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates to the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolators, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

Sergeant Steve Betteridge confirms patrol officers are canvassing the scene, but can not say yet if it will be investigated as a hate crime. 

From experience, it comes in waves,” he says. “Quite often it’s a very small number of people that are responsible for it.” As offensive as the graffiti may be, Betteridge also says it is important not to wash it off. “You want to get it removed, but our advice is not prior to the police being able to do their investigation,” he explains.

In November, police investigated after graffiti reading, “Islam Will Rule the World” started popping up around the west end of the city. At the time, the Windsor Islamic Council denounced it as “a malicious attempt to divide our communities”.