Anonymous ID: 4e3855 Oct. 3, 2025, 4:32 p.m. No.23690878   ๐Ÿ—„๏ธ.is ๐Ÿ”—kun   >>0965 >>1063 >>1240 >>1268

>>23690805

Muslims who vandalized Texas church claimed First Amendment right, jury disagreed

 

https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_1305d433-3533-428a-ae24-0a9301f8863d.html

 

hree Muslims who vandalized a church in Euless, Texas, argue doing so was their First Amendment right.

 

So far, jurors have disagreed, convicting one man, Raunaq Alam, of vandalism but not of a hate crime.

 

Alam was one of three charged in the vandalization of a nondenominational church, Uncommon Church in Euless, in Tarrant County last March. They are accused of spray-painting โ€œexpletive Israelโ€ and affixing pro-Palestinian/Hamas stickers on the exterior of the church building, among other actions recorded on a church security camera.

 

District Attorney Phil Sorrells initially charged them with felony criminal mischief; the case was originally filed in County Criminal Court No. 5. The charges were later increased to a third-degree felony hate crime, which carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison. It was increased to a hate crime because the perpetrators allegedly targeted a church because of religion, the prosecution argued. The case was also transferred to County Criminal Court No. 9 under Judge Brian Bolton.