Brooklyn mosque shaken by masked man with bullhorn shouting anti-Islamic insults

Rebecca White, Roni Jacobson and Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News on Feb 22, 2025

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NEW YORK — A video recording of a man with a bullhorn shouting vile anti-Islamic obscenities outside a Brooklyn mosque has left worshipers rattled and local politicians including Gov. Kathy Hochul decrying the hate-filled act.

The unidentified man, whose face is covered by a ski mask and who appears to be wearing a Make America Great Again red baseball cap, was recorded raving outside Masjid Nur Al-Islam, on Church Avenue in Kensington, on Tuesday.

Sporting a New York Jets jacket, the protester paced back and forth in front of the house of worship while shouting derogatory, sexually demeaning, anti-Islamic comments, which has left many worshipers on edge.

“He was cursing (at the) women’s door,” Mohammed Yousuf, a board member at the mosque, told the Daily News Saturday, pointing at the entrance. “And kids…they come to school here. We feel bad about this incident.”

An NYPD detective showed up on Friday, trying to get more information about the incident.

“He was (telling) everybody that, ‘Don’t worry, We’ll take care of this thing,'” Yousuf said. “At least they are trying to find out who that guy is.”

Longtime congregants, which include families from Bangladesh, Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan and India, said this was the first time the mosque had been targeted.

“We’re scared. It’s never happened before,” said congregant and mosque secretary Ahmed Iftekhar, 48. “The last 20 years I’m here, I’ve never seen (anything like this).”

Members of Bangledeshi Americans for Political Progress blasted the video Friday, calling the protester’s actions a “disgusting, inflammatory, reprehensible, Islamophobic attack.”

BAPP claimed that a member of the Jewish extremist group Betar was responsible, but leaders of that organization said they weren’t involved.

“Betar did not host a protest at a mosque,” spokesman Daniel Levy told The News. “An angry young Zionist … made a video with some inappropriate language.”

Yousuf said Kensington is home to many faiths that have always existed in peace.

“This is a Jewish school right here,” he said. “We’ve never had any issues.”

The incident was widely condemned by New York City politicians on social media Friday.

“This is a hateful, offensive display, and it will not be tolerated in New York,” Hochul wrote on X. “No one should live in fear because of how they worship, and we will continue to root out Islamophobic hate in every corner of our state.”

Brooklyn state Sen. and mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie also denounced the hateful display.

“I strongly condemn the blatant Islamophobia on display in Kensington this week,” he said. “The disgusting rhetoric in front of Masjid Nur Al-Islam is completely unacceptable. Our neighbors deserve to worship in peace and free from hatred,” Myrie posted.

An NYPD spokesperson told the Daily News that police are aware of the incident and were investigating.

“The commanding officer of the 66 Precinct will be visiting the mosque to address any concerns and provide any necessary resources,” the spokesman said.

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