Early on August 3, assailants used wire cutters to break a window and force entry into the Westwood Islamic Community Center in west Cincinnati, Ohio, marking the third break‑in at the facility in seven years. The intrusion damaged the office, resulted in the theft of a surveillance camera and television monitors, and led to vandalism that included profanity written on a whiteboard and the tearing of two posters bearing Arabic Quranic verses.

Nashid Shakir, a board member who has been associated with the center since the 1960s, described the scene as “total disarray.” He noted that the center, which includes a mosque and a food pantry and serves an underserved, majority‑Black neighborhood, has previously experienced a 2005 pipe‑bomb attack that caused damage to a door and windows but remains unsolved.

Local Muslim leaders and community members have labeled the incident a hate crime, saying that previous attacks were accompanied by graffiti with racist language. They have called on local authorities to acknowledge and condemn the acts, expressing doubt that federal law enforcement will pursue a hate‑crime investigation. “I don’t have trust in authorities to find who’s behind this,” said Tala Ali, a community organizer with Cair‑Ohio.

The attacks occur amid a broader increase in Islamophobic rhetoric and incidents nationwide. In March, the Council on American‑Islamic Relations reported a record rise in Islamophobic incidents, and in May three people were killed at a mosque in San Diego. President Donald Trump referenced “jihadists being elected” on August 10, echoing language that has been used to describe recent attacks on Muslim Americans.

A thinktank report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate found that targeting of Democratic senatorial candidate Abdul El‑Sayed increased twentyfold after his primary win on August 4, with repeated criticism from Donald Trump and other right‑wing figures. The Westwood incident reflects a pattern of intimidation that community leaders say is motivated by identity.

Community members have sought federal assistance for security upgrades, including grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but uncertainty about the current administration has made them hesitant. “Will these people really protect you, or will they use it, as they have historically used it, to access what we do in our community?” Ali asked. The center currently lacks security cameras, and no suspects have been apprehended.