People stood outside Masjid Ash Shura in Norfolk with paint brushes and rollers in hand. Volunteers and members of the mosque worked together to cover the outline of Christian crosses that spanned the building’s walls.
Security footage shows a white man appearing in his 30s vandalizing the building on Dec. 7 around 9:20 p.m. He spray-painted a string of black crosses from one end of the building to the other.
The mosque has been part of the community since the 1980s, said Imam Hesham Sabbah. There haven’t been threats for a long time, he added.
“That's what's a little bit disappointing, because we were looking at things like things were getting a lot better in terms of community security and safety and peace,” Sabbah said.
Norfolk Police are continuing to investigate a vandalism and are asking for the public's help to identify a man who is believed to be involved. Read more, https://t.co/GJAED7yK33 pic.twitter.com/DYpTDChmLA
— Norfolk Police Dept (@NorfolkPD) December 9, 2025
Local law enforcement hasn’t determined if the act was a hate crime, but they also haven’t ruled it out, said Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk’s Commonwealth’s Attorney. The determination will depend on the facts of the case, he said.
When the intent is to intimidate someone or a community based on race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability, an act is considered a hate crime, Fatehi said.
Between 2021 and 2025, 20 hate crimes were documented by the Norfolk Police Department, according to FBI Crime Data. Race was determined to be the primary bias behind these crimes, followed by religion.
But these numbers may not capture the full range of crimes motivated by prejudice.
“A crime doesn't have to be charged as a hate crime to be aggravated because of discrimination,” Fatehi said.
Noel Young heard about the vandalism through community groups and helped paint at mosque the morning of Dec. 10. She said showing up was what a good neighbor ought to do.
“One person can commit a crime and act of violence like this, but the rest of us aren't going to stand for it and allow it to happen,” she said.
Sabbah said he isn’t aware of any ongoing security concerns — and that the mosque isn’t going to let the incident “shake its spirit.”
“When something happens like this, my advice is we don't fight fire with fire,” he said. “We should fight with water. That's wisdom.”
Because police are barred from using facial recognition technology to identify the perpetrator, they’re relying on the public for help, Fatehi said.
People can contact the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip through the P3Tips mobile app.