Out of a hate-motivated incident comes community healing and art, these organizers say.

On Monday, July 21, officials from the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Greater L.A. office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) unveiled a new mural at the Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC) — a mosque targeted by Islamophobic graffiti just two months prior.

ICSC officials said the center was targeted by a “disturbing act of vandalism” on its wall and surrounding trees, including symbols police determined as hate-motivated, on May 12. The LAPD’s Major Crimes Division launched a hate crime investigation into the incident, which police were investigating as a hate crime.

Monday’s mural unveiling included family activities, food, live music, and speeches from elected officials and partnering organizations from CAIR-LA and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Organizers hope the piece, supported by the L.A. County Human Relations Commission and other community groups, is seen as a symbol of “healing, visibility and resistance.”

On one side of the mosque’s wall, the blue and yellow-tinted mural — titled “Sabr at Fajr,” by Palestinian-American artist Saj Issa — explores “notions of patience, resilience and cultural identity through the symbolic Sabr plant” centered in the artwork. Organizers said the plant, a prickly pear cactus, “takes root in an ethereal landscape that evokes connections to both Los Angeles and the Middle East.” Other elements of the mural include a yellow moon and flowing water, symbols of life and growth.

“This imagery serves as a reminder that we are never truly alone, so long as we remain steadfast in our faith,” said Issa before the mural’s unveiling. “It also speaks to the beauty of endurance and the shared human story of finding belonging after hardship.”

The mural was funded through a grant from the county’s Measure B fund, with support through MuralColors’ artist residency program. It was developed through a community input process which included hundreds of responses from Muslims across L.A., officials said.

Members of the community and allies swiftly condemned the vandalism at the inclusive mosque and community center, near Koreatown.

“ICSC is a beacon of faith and service in our community, and this hateful act of vandalism is not just an attack on a house of faith, it is an assault on the values of diversity and tolerance,” said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush in a May press release. “Amidst rising anti-Muslim rhetoric across the country, this disturbing attempt to intimidate and marginalize our community is deeply concerning. Hate and bigotry, against any group regardless of faith or background, cannot go unchecked.”

Officials arrested a man who reportedly scrawled anti-Islamic hate words at the same mosque in April 2023.

The mural, “Sabr at Fajr,” builds upon LA vs. Hate’s “Signs of Solidarity” campaign, aimed at fighting hate and uplifting diversity through public displays, officials said — including signs, posters, and community-commissioned artwork across L.A. County.

The campaign comes in response to a 45% increase in hate crimes reported county-wide, according to the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations’ latest report in 2023.

L.A. County reported an increase in religiously-motivated attacks on both Jewish and Muslim communities since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023. Anti-Muslim incidents represented 8% of all reported religious hate in both 2022 and 2023 — an increase of 133% during those years. Incidents related to conflict in the Middle East increased 2,150%, up to 64 in 2023, officials said.

“There’s no question — there’s already a huge increase,” said Robin Toma, executive director of the commission, before Monday’s unveiling. “This is the largest number we’ve ever recorded.”

Toma said that in response to the rising attacks, the county’s LA v. Hate campaign offers resources for people standing up to hate, and partners with community organizations to create rapid-response networks for reported hate-motivated attacks, which people can report through its multilingual, confidential 211 hotline.

The campaign also seeks to “reclaim” public spaces, communities and neighborhoods that have been frequent targets of hate, officials said.

County officials identified through reporting that Koreatown, MacArthur Park, San Pedro and Pico-Robertson are among the L.A. neighborhoods “most impacted” by hate incidents. In response, the commission began its campaign creating signage and murals in those areas to show solidarity. Several new murals unveiled over the last two years include an El Monte mural celebrating the area’s diverse workforce, one in Pico-Robertson combating antisemitism, and another highlighting the LGBTQ+ community in Long Beach.

Seeing communities united against hate, Toma hopes, will deter people from committing offenses.

“When there have been hate crimes, and when there’s been a response by the entire community by showing solidarity against hate, that has sent a strong message and deterred people even from thinking of community acts of hate,” Toma said. “We are preventing hate from happening by building that visible solidarity.”

Toma said that he hopes the new mural and support of public officials — including District 2 Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Vahid Khorsand, L.A.’s new Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement, both of whom attended Monday’s unveiling — will “affirm that the Muslim community belongs.”

“They’re part of our civic and cultural fabric,” Toma said. “We will not let hate divide us.”

Victims or witnesses of hate crimes can report by calling 2-1-1, the county’s confidential hotline, or visit LAvsHate.org for access to free resources and multilingual support.