BREAKING NEWS

CAIR: Louisiana Mosque Vandalized with Pork
FBI will be asked to treat incident as hate crime

(WASHINGTON, D.C. 5/10/11) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will today ask the FBI to investigate as a possible hate crime an incident in Louisiana in which a mosque was vandalized with pork.

[Muslims are prohibited from consuming pork products and bigots often use pigs or pork to offend Muslim sensibilities.]

Muslims in Bossier City, La., reported to police that a white male in a pick-up truck tampered with the doors of the Mosque and left pork on the door handles so worshippers would have to touch it to go inside.

Video: Louisiana Mosque Vandalized with Pork

"These types of incidents will continue to occur as long as our nation's leaders fail to speak out forcefully against the growing anti-Islam sentiment in American society," saidCAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

He said the targeting of Islam and Muslims by some right-wing commentators, politicians and self-proclaimed "experts" is creating an atmosphere in which such incidents will inevitably occur.

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Hooper noted that a mosque in New York is currently being targeted with a nearby hate sign and that a mosque in Maine was targeted with hate graffiti related to the death ofOsama bin Laden.

SEE: Neighbor Posts Offensive Sign Near NY Islamic Center
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He said three Muslim religious leaders, or imams, were barred from flying to a conference on Islamophobia this past weekend.

Video: Muslim Clerics Taken Off Flight in U.S. (CAIR)

CAIR's Minnesota chapter recently called for a hate crime investigation of graffiti spray-painted on the Rochester home of a Somali Muslim family.

CAIR-MN said a Nazi swastika and the letters "KKK" were written on the side of a house in which the family lives. This is the third time they have been targeted.

Video: CAIR-MN Asks FBI to Probe Hate Graffiti Targeting Muslim Family

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization is urging members of the Muslim community to review security procedures using advice contained in its "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 National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail:ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com