• CAIR Director Meets Jordan's King Abdullah in D.C.
  
• CAIR Blasts Gingrich for Bigoted Comments on Sharia (Fox)
  [CAIR] on Wednesday condemned Newt Gingrich for saying he would only hire Muslims to his administration if they renounced the use of Islam's Shariah law as a tool for U.S. government.
  
  • CAIR: Islamophobe Frank Gaffney Endorses Gingrich's Anti-Muslim Comments
    
  • Islamophobia Watch: Profile of Anti-Sharia Extremist David Yerushalmi
    On Muslims: "It shall be a felony punishable by 20 years in prison to knowingly act in furtherance of, or to support the, adherence to Islam."
• CAIR-NY: Are Muslims Under Fire Here in Queens? (Chronicle)

BREAKING NEWS:

CAIR: Arson at Ohio Muslim Family's Home Probed as Hate Crime

(COLUMBUS, OH, 1/19/12) -- The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) today reported that a fire at a Muslim family's home in that state has been determined to be arson and is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Yesterday, CAIR-Ohio asked the FBI to help establish the cause of Monday's fire in Hilliard, Ohio, because the property had previously been vandalized with anti-Muslim graffiti at least twice, including an incident just two months ago.

Video: Fire at Ohio Muslim Family's Home was Arson (CAIR)
Authorities Investigate Arson as Possible Hate Crime (Dispatch)
CAIR: Hilliard Police Department News Release on Arson

"Now that we know the fire was arson, we hope a motive can be determined and the perpetrators apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Jennifer Nimer.

Nimer said a number of recent reports have documented the growth and promotion of Islamophobia nationwide.

CAIR: Same Hate, New Target
Center for American Progress: Fear, Inc.
Southern Poverty Law Center: Jihad Against Islam
People for the American Way: The Right-Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism

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.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio Staff Attorney Romin Iqbal, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: riqbal@cair.com; CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Jennifer Nimer, 614-451-3232, E-mail: jnimer@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail:ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

---