CAIR: Attack on Michigan Mosque Thwarted

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 1/29/11) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations(CAIR) today said that a bias-motivated attack on a Dearborn, Mich., mosque was thwarted by local police.

Law enforcement authorities and officials with the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn reported to CAIR that a white male resident of California was arrested on Monday evening in the mosque's parking lot while he was in possession of explosive materials. The man is currently being held on $500,000 bond.

"We thank law enforcement authorities for their quick and professional actions in this troubling incident," said Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR's Michigan chapter. "The increased number of bias incidents targeting American Muslim institutions must be addressed by local, state and national authorities."

Walid said that earlier this month, CAIR called on state and federal authorities to investigate vandalism at a Missouri mosque as a hate crime.

Other recent hate incidents targeting American Muslim institutions and houses of worship have included an arson attack on an Oregon mosque, an arson attack on a mosque in Texas, threats against an Islamic school in Oklahoma, a bias attack outside an Ohio mosque, shots fired outside a New York mosque, an arson attack on the site of a planned mosque in Tennessee, a threat to a previously-bombed Ohio mosque, the defacement of a South Carolina mosque, hate mail sent to mosques, Islamic centers and Muslim organizations in Michigan and Ohio, and a bomb attack at a Florida mosque in May of last year.

The FBI also recently offered a reward for information about a possible bias-motivated blaze in the parking lot of a Louisiana mosque.

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Video: Metro Detroit Mosques Receive Hate Mail (CAIR)
Video: Ohio Mosque Received Anti-Muslim E-Mail (CAIR)
Bombed Cincinnati Mosque Receives New Threat (AP)
Video: Texas Mosque Vandalism
Video: 5 Teens Arrested After Shot Fired Outside NY Mosque
Video: S.C. Mosque Members Say They're Victims of a Hate Crime

CAIR is urging American Muslim individuals and institutions to review advice on security procedures contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

SEE: Muslim Community Safety Kit

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-Mail:dwalid@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com