LEWISTON – Several copies of a harassing, anti-Muslim poster appeared Thursday outside a downtown Somali-owned store.

The effect: fear and anger.

“These people are trying to cause misunderstanding and mistrust,” said Hussein Ahmed, the owner of the Barwaqo Halal Store at Lisbon and Chestnut streets. “It’s really sad.”

The poster bears the image of an angry-looking Rottweiler beneath the words “Lost Dog” and “Mohammed.” It also reads, “Mohammed is NOT GOOD with people or kids. Do not trust him.”

The flier offers a $1,000 reward and a fictitious contact number, 867-5309. The number, which is not in service, was also the title of a popular 1980s song.

“This is insulting,” Ahmed said Thursday afternoon. “We love our prophet.”

Ahmed discovered the fliers stuck on a tree outside the entrance to his store and on a utility pole across the street. He called police, who began an immediate investigation.

“At the very least, this is harassment,” said Lt. Michael McGonagle, spokesman for the Lewiston Police Department. Whether it reaches the level of a hate crime will be determined as more facts are found, he said.

A copy of the flier has been forwarded to the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

“Obviously, this isn’t a lost dog,” McGonagle said. “We’re going to fully investigate with an eye toward prosecution.”

McGonagle said whoever is responsible for putting up the fliers is a coward.

“They hang these in the darkness when nobody’s looking,” he said.

Store owner Ahmed shared the flier with many of his customers. They, too, were angered by the message.

“We are part of the community here,” said Mohammed Adam. The intent seems to be to make them feel vulnerable, he said.

“At certain times, we feel like we are in an ocean and we cannot leave,” Adam said.

He put part of the blame on television, which he believes has demonized all Muslims, rather than differentiating between peaceful and radical groups.

“I wish the media would teach people about us,” he said. “This comes from a lack of education, a lack of knowing each other.”

Police may need help to catch the anonymous flier hanger, McGonagle said. Anyone with information is encouraged to call officer Matthew Cashman at the Lewiston Police Department, 513-3139, ext. 6359.