With rising tensions in the Middle East, the city is now seeing impacts in its own backyard. 

Members at the Tayba Islamic Center woke up to graffiti that read “Death 2 Palestine.”

“We have morning prayer so we came here, and I saw it at around 6:50 in the morning when we were here and it was just very, very upsetting... the prayer didn’t feel the same,” said Mehran Mohammad. 

Members of this congregation say Thursday is Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan. They believe the vandalism was timed deliberately during this Islamic celebration.

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident. Security cameras were on when the vandalism happened but officials at the mosque say they have been faulty. 

The congregation says there is also a synagogue across the street and that they are always able to coexist peacefully. 

The mosque is now hoping to celebrate the rest of Eid on a better note.