Opinion Editorials, March 2016

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• CAIR-Chicago Invites Peoria Homeowner with Anti-Muslim Display to Visit Mosque, Learn About Islam
  
  The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today invited a Peoria, Ill., homeowner with an anti-Muslim display on his lawn to visit a local mosque to learn about Islam. Dennis Murdy built lawn decorations that show a hunter pointing a shotgun at a person wearing a turban who is on his knees. The lawn display raised concern in the Peoria Muslim community.
• Video: CAIR Seeks Release of Video Showing Police Shooting of Utah Muslim
  • Video: CAIR Says Release of Video Showing Utah Police Shooting will Demonstrate Transparency
• California Teenager Says He was Stabbed for Speaking Arabic
  
  A teenager was stabbed twice when he and his brother-in-law were walking home in Huntington Beach. They believe they were targeted because they were speaking Arabic.
  • Video: CAIR-St. Louis Welcomes Hate Crime Charge for Armed Threat to Muslim Family
  • CA: Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Coachella Valley Mosque Arson
  • CAIR-LA: "We Shall Overcome" Drowns Out Anti-Klan Protesters at Anaheim Peace Rally
  • House OKs Bill Restricting How Islam is Taught in Tennessee Public Schools
• CAIR: After 9/11, U.S. Politicians Called Muslims Peace-Loving. Now, Some Want Them Out of the Country. (U.S. News)
  
  That trend continued during the 2010 midterm elections � a time of "great anger" among Republicans � and during the 2012 presidential race when Herman Cain expressed reservations about appointing Muslims to his potential Cabinet, says Corey Saylor, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
  
  Further fanning the flames, he says, is a media that increasingly focuses on negative stories about Muslims and a growing group of organizations determined to promote Islamophobia. In 2013, the group put out a report in which it named 37 groups whose primary purpose it found to be promoting prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims.
• CAIR-Cleveland Co-Hosts 'Teatime for Peace' to Challenge Islamophobia, Build Interfaith Relations
  
  More than 100 people gathered last night in an interfaith event to discuss the growth of Islamophobia in America. The event, called "Teatime for Peace," was held at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church and was co-hosted by the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cleveland) and area social justice groups.
• CAIR National Board Chair to Speak in Kentucky
  
  Roula Allouch, chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)'s national board, will be the luncheon speaker at The Women's Network Northern Kentucky Chapter's March 12 meeting at the Syndicate in Newport.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR-NY Urges Muslim Victims of Reported Attack in Buffalo to Come Forward

(NEW YORK, NY, 3/1/2016) � The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) is calling on two Muslim girls who were reportedly attacked in Buffalo, N.Y., to come forward and report the incident to police.

An eyewitness reports that three men pulled up in an SUV, started yelling and threw eggs at two teenage Muslim girls who were wearing Islamic head scarves, or hijab. The eyewitness believes the girls were targeted because of their head scarves, since there were many other children on the street. The victims of the attack were reportedly covered in remnants of the thrown eggs.

One of the men left behind a cell phone and the eyewitness took down the license plate number of the vehicle the attackers were driving, both of which have been given to police. A police representative told CAIR that the case can only move forward if the alleged victims file a report.

Eyewitness: Two Muslim Women Targeted, Egged

"We urge the victims in this attack, and their families, to come forward and file a report so that police can bring the alleged perpetrators to justice," said CAIR-NY Director of Operations Sadyia Khalique.

Yesterday, CAIR's St. Louis chapter welcomed a hate crime charge brought against an armed man who allegedly made death threats targeting a Muslim family.

Video: CAIR-St. Louis Welcomes Hate Crime Charge for Armed Threat to Muslim Family

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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CAIR-St. Louis Welcomes Hate Crime Charge for Armed Threat to Muslim Family

(ST. LOUIS, MO, 2/29/2016) � The St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) today welcomed a hate crime charge brought against an armed man who allegedly made death threats targeting a Muslim family.

Earlier today, CAIR-St. Louis, a member of the family that was allegedly threatened and representatives of the local Muslim community met with St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch to request that charge.

UPDATE: Affton Man Charged with Anti-Muslim Hate Crime
CAIR: St. Louis Islamic Leaders to Meet with Prosecutor About Armed Threat to Muslim Family

Leonard Debello was charged with "unlawful use of a weapon motivated by discrimination." The charging document states: "Leonard Debello. . .knowingly exhibited in the presence of one or more persons a silver and black handgun, weapon readily capable of lethal use, in an angry or threatening manner, and the defendant knowingly did so because of Rabie Ayoub and Marwah Abdul Hussein's race, religion or national origin."

"We welcome the hate crime charge brought in this case and hope the prosecutor's actions send the message that alleged acts of violence and intimidation prompted by anti-Muslim bigotry will not be tolerated," said CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed.

"I and my family are so happy that this man is finally being charged," said Rabie Ayoub. "My children can now go outside without worrying about their lives, my wife can finally peacefully leave the home and I can go to work without worrying all day about them."

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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• Debunking the 'Civilization Jihad' Conspiracy Theory
  
  Presidential candidate Ben Carson has recently peddled a conspiracy theory about a Muslim "civilization jihad" plan to take over America.
• Election Update: CAIR Reminds Muslim Voters to Go to the Polls Tomorrow on 'Super Tuesday'
  
  CAIR today reminded American Muslim voters to go to the polls tomorrow on "Super Tuesday."
  
  Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia will hold primary elections for both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans in Alaska will hold caucuses, as will Democrats in Colorado. Democrats in American Samoa are also holding a primary election.
  • CAIR: Trump's Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Plays Well With Fans, But Horrifies Others (Washington Post)
    
    "The American Muslim community has never felt this level of apprehension and fear," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It really is open season, rhetorically, on American Muslims and Islam."
  • Video: CAIR-NJ Rep 'Disappointed' in Chris Christie's Endorsement of Donald Trump
  • CAIR-St. Louis Blames Blames Trump for Islamophobia After Armed Threat to Muslim Family
    • CAIR-St. Louis: Muslims Wait for Bob McCulloch to File Charges Over Armed Threat to Family
      
      Eight days ago while house shopping in Affton, Ayoub and his wife claim a neighbor man threatened to kill them "because they're Muslim." The family was joined by the local leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations last week in calling for "hate crime" charges to be issued against the man.
• Video: CAIR Monitoring Probe Into Killings of Three Young Men in Indiana
  • CAIR: 'Execution-Style' Murder of Three Sudanese Immigrants in Indiana Not a Hate Crime, Police Say
    
    "When you have three young people killed execution-style, people think back to Chapel Hill. The Muslim community and others who saw that case believe there was a bias motive at least in part for the killings," CAIR's Ibrahim Hooper said. "So looking at the [Fort Wayne] case, it reminds everyone of that case, so there's concern."
• Video: CAIR-MN Director Meets with Governor During Visit to Vandalized Mosque
  • CAIR-Philadelphia: Report Shows Hate Groups on the Rise Across the U.S.
  • Police Release Video of Suspects in Indiana Islamic Center Vandalism
  • Los Angeles Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Spike in Wake of San Bernardino Terror Attacks
  • CAIR-FL: Tampa Muslim Reacts to "Islamophobic" Joke by Florida Legislator
• Georgia Chapter of CAIR Names New Executive Director
  
  Atlanta attorney and interfaith activist Edward Ahmed Mitchell has been named the new executive director of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
• CAIR-CA Urges California Legislators to Oppose Anti-Boycott Bills

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR Asks Salt Lake City Police to Release Body Cam Video Showing Shooting of Young Muslim

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/29/16) � The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on police in Salt Lake City, Utah, to release body camera video of the Saturday shooting of a Muslim teenager, identified by family members as 17-year-old Abdi Mohamed.

SEE: Family IDs Teen Shot by Police in Downtown SLC

Police say they are not releasing the video because the investigation is ongoing and because the teenager, who was shot twice by officers and remains in critical condition, could face charges.

SEE: Salt Lake City Withholds Footage of Police Shooting

According to police, the teen was attacking another person with a metal stick when officers intervened, leading to the shooting. After the incident, bystanders began throwing rocks and bottles at police. A witness claims officers fired too quickly after demanding only one time that the teenager drop the stick he was reportedly carrying.

"Because of past unfortunate incidents of controversial police shootings nationwide, the release of the body camera video could help allay community concerns about transparency and accountability," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

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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• CAIR-Cleveland Hosts Muslim Community Meeting on Bias-Free Policing
  
  Dozens of people participated yesterday in a forum on bias-free policing with the Bias-Free Policing Work Group of the Cleveland Community Police Commission held at the ACLU of Ohio and co-coordinated by the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cleveland) and area Muslim groups.
• Election Update: CAIR-Texas Issues Voter Guide for March 1 Presidential Primary
  
  The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas) today issued a guide for those who will vote in that state's presidential primary on March 1, part of "Super Tuesday."
  
  CAIR-Texas' guide outlines the presidential candidates' views on Muslims and on foreign and domestic policy issues of concern to the American Muslim community.
  • Video: Marco Rubio Responds to Question on CAIR-OK 'Muslim Free' Suit, Islamophobic Rhetoric
  • 'Veterans Against Islamophobia' Plan to Protest Trump Event in Alabama
    
    
• Photos: Interfaith Partners Form Corridor of Support Against Lone Islam-Hater at CAIR-OK Muslim Day at the Capitol
  • CAIR-OK: Muslim Day at Capitol Draws Supporters, Protesters in Effort to Engage Lawmakers
  • CAIR-OK: Muslims Greeted by Supporters, Protesters at 'Muslim Day at the Capitol'
    
    Oklahoma Muslims attending the second annual "Muslim Day at the Capitol" were greeted by both protesters and supporters as they entered the State Capitol building on Friday.
    
    "Muslim Day," hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma chapter, was described as a day of workshops and sessions about civic engagement.
• CAIR-FL: Muslim Woman Says Lawmaker Asked Her, 'Is It Safe To Ride The Elevator With You?'
  • CAIR-St. Louis: Muslim Family Allegedly Threatened with Gun While House Hunting Seeks Hate Crime Charges
  • Video: CAIR-MN Joins National Effort to Challenge Growing Islamophobia
• CAIR-MI 2016 Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium
• CAIR-Sacramento: Islamic Society Open House
• CAIR Rep Rings Freedom Bell for Unity, Religious Pluralism at Historic Black Church
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said today that its Maryland Outreach Manager Zainab Chaudry visited the historic First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Va., to ring the freedom bell for unity and religious pluralism as part of the church's #LetFreedomRingChallenge.
  • CAIR-MI: Muslim Students' Association Holds Event in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter Movement

NEWS RELEASE


CAIR-MN: Minnesota Muslims Concerned About Vandalism at Minneapolis Mosque

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 2/26/16) - The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today said members of that state's Muslim community are concerned about the possible motive for a break-in and vandalism Wednesday night targeting a Minneapolis mosque.

CAIR: Break-In at Minneapolis Islamic Center Raises Concern

Officials with the Umatul Islam Center tell CAIR that a white male apparently in his 50s was caught on surveillance video breaking doors and windows in the mosque and stealing equipment and files. The damage estimate is more than $5,000. Wednesday's vandalism is reportedly the second such incident in the past month. A man who appears to resemble the most recent suspect was allegedly caught on surveillance video trying unsuccessfully to break into the mosque.

SEE: Umatul Islam Center

"Our community is concerned about the possible motive for this incident," said CAIR-MN Director Jaylani Hussein. "We urge law enforcement authorities to do their utmost to bring the perpetrator to justice and thereby help alleviate community concerns."

• CAIR-Georgia Expands Amid Rising Islamophobia, Hires Atlanta Attorney as Director
  
  The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA) today announced that it has hired Atlanta attorney and interfaith activist Edward Ahmed Mitchell to serve as its new executive director. This marks the first step in CAIR-GA's goal of building a full-time office dedicated to serving the state.
  
  "I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead this accomplished civil rights organization as it defends Georgia Muslims and other minorities from the rising threat of discrimination," said Mitchell, who has served as a criminal prosecutor in Atlanta over the past three years.
• CAIR: Donald Trump's Bigotry Has Inspired Muslim American Voters Like No Candidate Before (Washington Post)
  
  It's called Islamaphobia. And it's real.
  
  Reports of hate attacks against American mosques tripled last year compared to previous years, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations.
  
  And in Northern Virginia, where one of the nation's largest concentrations of Muslims have lived with few incidents for decades, the shift in attitude is palpable.
  • CAIR: American Muslims Respond with Defiance to Donald Trump
    
    Experts say the apparent increased acceptability of such rhetoric has real consequences. Imran Siddiqui, executive director of the Arizona branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, started tracking violence against American Muslims after the San Bernardino attacks in December at hatehurts.net.
• Video: Threats Target CAIR-Oklahoma's Muslim Day at the Capitol
  • FL: Man Accused of Vandalizing Mosque Charged with Hate Crimes
  • CAIR: Minnesota Revokes Hateful 'FMUSLMS' License Plate (Reuters)
    
    The Minnesota plate that was scrapped this week is "symptomatic of the overall rise of Islamophobia" in the United States, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
    "Everyone has a right to be a bigot if they want to, but not on a state-issued license plate," Hooper said.
• CAIR-Sacramento: Panel Tackles Satirical Cartooning, Free Speech
  
  The issue of free speech in the context of satirical cartoons was the topic of a Jan. 28 panel discussion organized by Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum. Cartoonist Eben Burgoon moderated the lively presentation featuring CAIR-SV executive director Basim Elkarra, Sacramento Bee editorial cartoonist Jack Ohman, and Cartoon Art Museum curator Andrew Farago.
  
  The murder of cartoonists and staff at the Parisian offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo one year ago was the catalyst for this topic of intense discourse. Following the tragic event, Elkarra related, Muslims throughout the United States held vigils honoring the victims and condemning the attack. "Freedom of speech is engrained in Islam," Elkarra told the capacity audience, despite strict speech restrictions in some Muslim countries.

***

• CAIR Supports Hawaii Senator Hirono's Resolution on Japanese American Internment, Against Xenophobia
  
  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) in support of a resolution the senator introduced commemorating the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and affirming that America must stand against xenophobic sentiments directed to members of Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Arab, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities.
  • ACTION ALERT: Urge Your State's Senators to Co-Sponsor the Resolution
  • Video: Hawaii Sen. Hirono Speaks Out Against Xenophobic Sentiments
• CAIR: LA County Notes Sharp Spike in Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes in Last 2 Months of 2015
  
  Ojaala Ahmad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said her organization takes reports from the community; the group reported four of the incidents tallied by the county commission. Ahmad said the number of Islamophobia-related incidents reported to CAIR's greater Los Angeles office more than doubled between calendar years 2014 and 2015, from 41 to 97.
• Video: CAIR-St. Louis Seeks Hate Crime Charges for Armed Threat to Muslim Family
  • CAIR-St. Louis: Gun-Wielding Idiot Tells Muslim Couple: 'All of You Should Die'
  • CAIR: 'Offensive and Distasteful' Anti-Muslim License Plate Revoked in Minn. (Washington Post)
  • MN: St. Paul Imam Barred From Twin Cities Airport Tour Blames Feds
  • Mass. Muslim: Police Did Not Thoroughly Investigate Islamophobic Incident
• CAIR Muslim Voter Reminder for Virginia March 1 Primary
  
  The Virginia presidential primary will be held on March 1, with all polling places open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. You are entitled to vote if you are in line by 7 p.m.
  It is critical for our community to go out and vote. A big Muslim turnout in a low turnout primary will magnify our voice and our visibility. To be ready to vote, please make note of the following important dates and voter resources. . .
  • CAIR National ED to Speak at CAIR-MN 'Trump the Fear' Dinner Feb. 27
• CAIR-LA: UCLA Students Protest Bosnian Restrictions on Religious Symbols
  
  About 20 students participated in the protest, an event organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Al-Talib Newsmagazine, Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Muslim Student Association at UCLA.
• CAIR: Religious Groups Mixed Over Guantanamo Closure Plan (RNS)
  
  "We welcome the closure, but we're still very concerned about the prospect of indefinite detention," Robert McCaw of the Council on American-Islamic Relations told RNS. "We're just importing Guantanamo and its legal framework to American shores. While the prison would be gone, the prisoners would still be a symbol of America's lack of due process."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR-OK Welcomes Stepped-Up Security After Threats to Oklahoma Muslim Day at the Capitol

(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 2/24/2016) � The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) today welcomed stepped-up security offered by law enforcement authorities for its second Annual Muslim Day at the Capitol this Friday, February 26, following online threats and calls to protest the civic participation of that state's Muslim community. Some 250 Muslims from across the state are expected to take part in Friday's event.

SEE: CAIR Oklahoma Preps for 'Muslim Day at the Capitol'

Threats to protest or disrupt the Muslim Day at the Capitol include online comments such as: "Everyone should simply put as big a pocketful of bacon bits in their pockets and throw it like wedding confetti all over those neanderthal [sic] b**tards."

At last year's event, protesters hurled insults at Muslims who attended the lobbying day. This year, the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma Conference of Churches have volunteered to escort participants to and from the Capitol building, providing a "corridor of support" against protesters. Other volunteers will provide support throughout the day and will rally outside the Capitol with messages of tolerance and solidarity.

SEE: Oklahoma Spiritual Leaders Plan Interfaith Campaign to Promote Peace

"This year's Oklahoma Muslim Day at the Capitol comes at an incredibly important time in our nation's history, as we prepare to cast our votes in the Oklahoma presidential primary," said CAIR-OK Executive Director Adam Soltani. "As a faith community that has been demonized by some elected leaders in our state, and now by those running for our nation's highest office, we hope to build bridges of understand on this day and have our voices heard by our state government."

The event features workshops and seminars on civic engagement and other relevant topics, with legal scholars, elected officials and community leaders as panelists. Attendees will also enjoy a catered lunch, a keynote address from Rep. George E. Young, Sr., and an Interfaith Jumah (Friday) prayer, which will include religious leaders from a variety of faith traditions.

"The workshops and speakers are intended to help our community grow their understanding of some of the biggest problems facing Oklahoma," said CAIR-OK Operations Coordinator Anna Facci. "By bringing people together at the Oklahoma State Capitol, we hope to encourage Muslims around the state to become more actively engaged in their communities and their state government."

Last year, CAIR-OK's Muslim Day at the Capitol brought some 200 attendees to its inaugural event. It also drew several dozen protestors. Along with insults hurled at Muslim participants, protesters attempted to disrupt an interfaith prayer, leading to one protester being removed from the building.

SEE: Despite Protests, 'Oklahoma Muslim Day at the Capitol' Goes On

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

***

• CAIR-AZ Files Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus for Palestinian Asylum Seeker Held in ICE Detention Facility
  
  The Arizona chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) today announced the filing of a petition for writ of habeas corpus in Federal Court, seeking the release of a Palestinian asylum seeker who has been detained indefinitely by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
• CAIR: Maryland Lawsuit Against School's Islam Lessons 'Hysterical Knee-Jerk Negative Reaction' (Washington Post)
  
  Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the Maryland lawsuit is "an example of the anti-Islam campaign that's being waged nationwide in schools."
  • CAIR: Maryland Dad Banned for Criticizing School's "Pro-Islamic Curriculum" Wants to Attend Daughter's Graduation (WMAL)
• CAIR: Opposition to Illinois Mosque Predictable, Sad, Muslims Say (Chicago Tribune)
  
  Opposition to new mosques has become "almost a given" in the Chicago area as well as throughout the country, a brand of Islamophobia often shrouded in concerns over zoning or urban planning, said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C.
  • CAIR-OK: Congregations Declare Oklahoma City to Be a Hate-Free Zone Feb 25- 28
  • Video: CAIR-MN Condemns 'FMuslims' License Plate
    
• Department of Defense White Paper Describes Wearing Hijab as 'Passive Terrorism'
• CAIR-MA: Dozens Swarm State House to Protest Those Wanting Syrian Refugees Out of Rhode Island
  
  The numbers were overwhelmingly in the protesters favor, completely drowning out the complaints against the governor's welcome.
  
  "I think the huge presence in the crowd today shows conclusively that Rhode Islanders do not share this view," said John Robbins, a member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Massachusetts.
  • Video: CAIR-MA Press Conference on Open Syrian Refugee Immigration, Rhode Island State House Feb. 22, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR-St. Louis Welcomes Arrest for Armed Threat to Muslim Family

(ST. LOUIS, MO, 2/23/16) � The St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis) today welcomed the arrest of a Missouri man who allegedly threatened to kill a Muslim family house hunting in Affton, Mo.

Earlier today, CAIR-St. Louis held a news conference with a member of the Muslim family to call on law enforcement authorities to bring hate crime charges in the case.

UPDATE: Man Arrested For Alleged Threats to Muslim Family
Muslim Family Says Man's Threat to Kill Them in St. Louis County Was Hate Crime

According to a police report about the Sunday incident, the man told the family, "You Muslim? All of you should die!" He also reportedly stated, "This state allows you to carry a gun and shoot you." The man then allegedly went into his house and returned with a handgun, pointing it at the Muslim family's vehicle � with children inside � and said, "You, your wife, and your kids have to die." Police are investigating the incident.

VIDEO: Muslim Family Allegedly Threatened by South County Man

"These types of alleged hate incidents will inevitably occur with greater frequency as public figures like Donald Trump mainstream Islamophobia," said CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed. "The only way to prevent similar attacks on American Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslim, is for law enforcement authorities to bring appropriate hate crime charges and for our nation's leaders to repudiate anti-Muslim bigotry."

On Saturday, CAIR said leading GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's latest anti-Muslim remarks endanger ordinary American Muslims who are already facing a rising wave of hate prompted by the billionaire businessman's previous Islamophobic statements.

SEE: CAIR Says Trump's 'Pig's Blood' Remarks Endanger U.S. Muslims

On Sunday, CAIR reported a Facebook comment threatening a Kentucky mosque to the FBI. Responding to a post on CAIR's Facebook page profiling the Muslim community in Eastern Kentucky, a West Virginia man commented: "Burn this place down."

CAIR: 'Burn This Place Down' Comment Targeting Kentucky Mosque to FBI

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization has reported an unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide since the Paris terror attacks, the San Bernardino shootings and Donald Trump's bigoted call for a complete ban on Muslims entering the United States.

• REMINDER: CAIR-MA, Interfaith Leaders, Officials to Show Support for Rhode Island Governor's Welcome to Syrian Refugees
• CAIR-MN: SCSU Alumnus Jaylani Hussein Speaks on Islamophobia
  • CAIR-Iowa: Islam Documentary to Screen Monday Night
  • CAIR-OK: Jewish Muslim Film Institute Presents Free Screening of "A Bottle in the Gaza Sea"
• CAIR-MN: State Apologizes for Issuing 'Offensive, Distasteful' Anti-Muslim License Plate
  
  The plate troubled leaders at the Council on American Islamic Relations in Minnesota. Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said his organization plans to send a letter to the state asking it to have tighter oversight on the personalized plates.
  
  "We are extremely concerned as a community that this type of expression of anti-Muslim (sentiment) is not only existing but we also missed looking at it," Hussein said. "In a personalized license plate, there should be much more careful view because of a lot of people who want to create certain types of messages."
  • CAIR: State of Minnesota Revokes Anti-Muslim 'FMuslims' License Plate
    
    Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it's not the first time racist or bigoted license plates have shown up around the country. He believes it's "a symptom of the unfortunate mainstreaming of Islamophobia in our society."
• CAIR: Trump's Remarks on Pigs' Blood Elicit Challenge From Sister of Chapel Hill Victim (NY Times)
  
  Muslim-American groups reacted with horror to the remarks. Nihad Awad, the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement that Mr. Trump had "crossed the line from spreading hatred to inciting violence" in ways that placed Muslim-Americans "at risk from rogue vigilantes."
• Video: CAIR, ACLU Sue Oklahoma 'Muslim Free' Business
• CAIR-NJ: The Sharia Law Tango Won't Catch on in New Jersey (Star-Ledger)
  
  We found a Sharia expert to explain to him how it works: "No religious code can replace American law," said James Sues of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). "Article VI, Clause 2 of the Constitution clearly states, 'This Constitution. . . .shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby.". . .
  
  Donald Trump, the man who sees people dancing on rooftops, proposed a ban on Muslims entering the country. Ben Carson called for a presidential religion test because "the Islamic faith might interfere with carrying out the duties of the Constitution."
  
  These two drew big crowds in Iowa, where 30 percent of Republicans told a pollster that Islam should be outlawed in the U.S. You read that right: One in three GOP Iowans wanted to criminalize a religion.

***

CONTACT:

CAIR-NY Director of Operations Sadyia Khalique, 914-266-2122, skhalique@cair.com;

CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com

Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Ave, S.E., Washington, D.C., 20003

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

editor@aljazeerah.info & editor@ccun.org