When is a picture of Jesus a hate crime?

On Friday, a painting of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross was left on a fence outside the Hillside Islamic Center in Long Island, New York. Now, the Nassau County Police Dept. is investigating the incident as a “hate crime.”

“A worker there had found this large painting of Christ on a cross on the property,” reported an anchor for NBC 4. “The anti-Muslim message was found hanging from a fence, deemed to be so obviously because it was a mosque.”

“Nassau County police said they are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.”

The “anti-Muslim message,” as the NBC 4 anchor labeled it, was a green and white painting of Jesus’ silhouette hanging on the cross.

“Members of this North New Hyde mosque feel someone tried to attack their religion Friday,” said a reporter for News 12 Long Island. “The reaction was kind of surprised, that in this community, we’ve been here since 2002, this is the first time it has happened,” said a member of the Hillsdale Mosque.

Another member of the congregation said that, although Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam, “that’s not what he meant” when the man hung the painting on the center’s fence:

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