A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to violating the civil rights of others by leading a conspiracy to deface The Islamic Center of Springfield with graffiti and burn two copies of the Qur\u2019an.<\/p>\n
Adam David Smock, 23, of Edgewater, California, formerly of Springfield, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush of the Western District of Missouri to a federal information that charges him with participating in a conspiracy to oppress, threaten and intimidate worshippers at the Islamic Center of Springfield in the free exercise and enjoyment of their constitutional right to the free exercise of their religious beliefs.<\/p>\n
The Islamic Center of Springfield provides services common to most religious establishments, including regular prayer service, a venue for individuals to pray on their own, community activities and a forum for charitable fund-raising.<\/p>\n
Smock admitted that on Jan. 7, 2011, he and two other individuals (one of whom was a 14-year-old minor) spray-painted graffiti on the exterior walls of the Islamic Center of Springfield. The graffiti included explicit and offensive language in addition to such statements as \u201cBash Back,\u201d \u201cNow is our time!\u201d and \u201cYou bash us in Pakistan we bash here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smock also admitted that on April 10, 2011, he and the same two individuals partially burned two copies of the Qur\u2019an, the Muslim holy book, and Smock left the burned Qur\u2019ans directly in front of the main doors to the Islamic Center, approximately 30 feet away from the building, where a co-conspirator also left a computer-printed note that contained the image of a goat\u2019s or ram\u2019s head, and the following text:<\/p>\n
To: Sincere Followers of Allah,<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we show the Muslim Nation that its oppressive religion won\u2019t go without a fight, not from soldiers, but from average citizens willing to fight for America \u2013 for there are three (sic) burned Qur\u2019ans that lay spread in the driveway. For we grow tired of Anti-Zionism. The Islamification of Europe. Terroristic regimes. And worst of all, the membership of 1.5 billion Muslims that stain the earth. And we vow one thing: Islam will not survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeath to Islam!\u201d<\/p>\n
Smock admitted that it was his idea to commit the acts and that he persuaded his co-conspirators to participate, and that he selected the Islamic Center of Springfield for vandalism because of the religious nature of the property in order to threaten and intimidate worshippers so as to hinder and interfere with the worshippers\u2019 enjoyment of their constitutional right to the free exercise of religion.<\/p>\n
The total cost of restoration and repair of the damage to the Islamic Center of Springfield, including sandblasting and applying anti-graffiti paint, is $15,662<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to violating the civil rights of others by leading a conspiracy to deface The Islamic Center of Springfield with graffiti and burn two copies of the Qur\u2019an. Adam David Smock, 23, of Edgewater, California, formerly of Springfield, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5409,"featured_media":60370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1,31],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n