When talking about vandalism, you think hate, racism and prejudice.
But, in the case of Virginia, vandalism is all about the love.
Local Muslim allies covered the Mubarak Mosque in Chantilly, Virginia in graffiti that spread colorful messages of love.
"We are your brothers and sisters" and "We are with you" were written across the sidewalks in chalk of different colors.
The mosque's Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association tweeted photos of the heartwarming messages.
One member of the mosque Qasim Rashid called the work of art "vandalism."
“At the end of the day these are the bonds that will unite us against any forces seeking to destroy,” says Hibbi Iqbal, according to Fusion.
Hate crimes against Muslims have gone up by 67 percent in 2015, reaching its peak since 2001, according to data released by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"We witnessed a spark in the number of hate crimes against Muslims in late 2015, and this number increased further during Donald Trump's election campaign," Ibrahim Hooper, from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told Al Jazeera.
"We expect the situation to get worse in the future, based on the fact that Donald Trump had mainstreamed Islamophobia."
The crimes have seen an exceptional increase following Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which was heavily characterized by xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric.
Since his victory, activist groups have noted a spike in hate crimes against Muslims and other minority groups in the U.S.
