Jihad graffiti dekat South Florida

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Islamic word spray painted on I-95 wall met with outrage
Posted: Today at 6:20 pm EDT

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- An Islamic word spray-painted on the side of a wall on Interstate 95, "Jihad," turned drivers' heads and elicited dismay out of many South Florida residents from various cultural backgrounds.

"Jihad" is defined on the Merriam-Webster website as "a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty" and "a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline."

"Anybody could probably do it at night because no one hardly pays attention, but when you do catch it out of the corner of your eye, you're like, 'Wow,'" said Heather Smith, who drives on the stretch on roadway, just south of Atlantic Boulevard, where the inflammatory term for was spray-painted overnight. "Being a disabled veteran, that upsets me," she added.

The graffiti towering above the highway isn't hard to miss. "Technically it's a message," said an onlooker. "I mean, it's definitely a message. It's a little nerve-wracking. People gotta see that and understand something's going on, you know?"

Authorities have not determined who is behind the defacing, but state troopers believe the sign was painted within the last two days. Their one piece of evidence as they continue their investigation is a spray-paint can.

Whereas some regard the sign as a warning, others are calling it the work of pranksters. "[It's] probably a bunch of kids, to be honest," said driver Eli Jones. "But still, I mean, what possesses kids to do that? They don't even understand what it means and where it comes from."

At the intersection of Southwest Fourth Avenue and Linton Boulevard in Delray Beach, investigators also found a sticker that also reads "Jihad." "If it's a joke, it's a sick joke, but you never know if it is a joke or not," said Smith.

Delray Beach Police are also investigating the sticker, but they said it will be difficult to pinpoint who is behind it because they are unable to determine when it was placed there.

Meanwhile, the graffiti along I-95 has since been painted over.

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