Federal agents meet with mosque leaders

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed they are investigating a defaced Quran found Friday afternoon on the front steps of the Islamic Center of Clarksville.

"We are looking at the situation to try to determine what to do," said FBI spokesman George Bolds. "The first step is to determine what the situations really are."

Bolds said FBI agents are now in Clarksville, meeting with leaders of the mosque, and determining what to do next.

The vandalized Quran, Islam's holy book, read "Mohammad pedophile," and an expletive was written inside, smeared under two strips of bacon, a Clarksville Police report indicated.

The report labeled the incident a hate crime.

"No one was physically hurt, but Congress has seen it fit to pass statutes that protect houses of worship," Bolds said. "Based on their (Congress') evaluation that this is worth protection, our job is to enforce those laws," he said. "We are going to do our job."

Bolds said a defaced Quran shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Since 9/11, it has been a concern that people of middle Eastern ethnicity and Muslims might be objects of discrimination by people who perceive Muslims, in general, to be terrorists or supporters of terrorists," he said. "That is obviously not an accurate portrayal." [Link]