FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR Asks FBI to Investigate Vandalism of Maryland Mosque
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/26/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the FBI to investigate a possible bias motive for vandalism targeting a Maryland mosque.
CAIR said someone threw a rock through a rear window of the Bab E Mustafa Community Center in the Riverview area of Baltimore County sometime on April 20 or 21. The community center includes a mosque and a child care facility. Baltimore County police have reportedly classified the incident as a hate crime. Center members report they are "routinely taunted by juveniles in the neighborhood." (Case#: 121120763)
Police officials tell CAIR they are stepping up patrols in the area of the mosque because of the incident.
"If a bias motive is proven in this case, the perpetrators should be punished to the full extent of the law using existing state and federal hate crime legislation," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We are witnessing a steep rise in Islamophobic rhetoric in our society, which can lead to acts of violence."
CAIR: Politics Behind Rise in Muslim Hate Crimes (LA Times)
CAIR-MI: Groups to Host Islamophobia Town Hall Sunday in Dearborn
AP: Islam Claims Blocked in Tenn. Trial Over Mosque
CAIR-MI: Groups to Host Islamophobia Town Hall Sunday in Dearborn
AP: Islam Claims Blocked in Tenn. Trial Over Mosque
Maryland law (Article 27 470A - Religious and Ethnic Crimes) makes it illegal for any person to vandalize or attempt to vandalize any religious property or to interfere by force or threat of force with any person in the exercise of their religious beliefs.
Hooper noted that just yesterday, a Maryland man was found guilty of assaulting a Virginia Muslim. The victim alleges a bias motive for the attack.
Backgrounder: CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Charges for Assault on Va. Muslim (Video)
Earlier this week, CAIR called on state law enforcement authorities and the FBI to investigate threatening letters sent to a number of North Carolina mosques as possible hate crimes.
CAIR said the Islamic Center of Charlotte, N.C., and other mosques in that state received hate letters filled with racial slurs and stating the author has "no problem killing Muslims."
CAIR's Iowa chapter recently called on the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate a letter with "very threatening" language and containing a mysterious powder that was sent to a Muslim representative in the Iowa House.
CAIR is asking members of the Muslim community to review security procedures using advice contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
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
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 -
No comments:
Post a Comment