Turkey decries Islamophobic attack on Denmark mosque

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - The head of the Diyanet, Turkey's religious affairs directorate, on Sunday denounced an Islamophobic attack on a Turkish mosque in Denmark near the German border.

"We expect the activities of racist groups with an Islamophobic mentality, which are increasing day by day, to end and their perpetrators to be brought to justice as soon as possible," Ali Erbas said on Twitter.

On Friday at 6 p.m., Aabenraa Mosque suffered an attack when someone spray-painted anti-Muslim slurs on its walls.

Hursit Tokay, the president of the mosque association, told Anadolu Agency that when he arrived at the mosque around 11 a.m. on Saturday, he noticed insulting writings about the holy book of Islam, the Quran, on the wall.

The mosque, which operates under the umbrella of the Danish Turkish Islamic Foundation, was partially closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He said mosque officials reported the incident to the police and authorities opened an investigation and would examine surveillance cameras in the area.

Tokay condemned the attack and said the writings were erased and no other damage was detected to the mosque.