WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/14/16 – The Council on American-Islamic-Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said that newly-released FBI hate crime statistics showing a 67 percent jump in anti-Muslim incidents in 2015 should push the nation’s leaders to repudiate growing Islamophobia.
SEE: Hate Crimes Against Muslims Up by 67% Last Year
Amid Outrage Over Stephen Bannon, F.B.I. Reports Surge in Hate Crimes (NY Times)
“We witnessed a sharp jump in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide last year, with that spike in Islamophobia continuing through 2016 and accelerating after the November 8 election,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw. “This unprecedented increase in bigotry of all kinds must be repudiated in the strongest terms possible by all our nation’s leaders, beginning with President-elect Donald Trump.”
McCaw noted that the FBI statistics confirm CAIR’s own report of an unprecedented number of anti-mosque incidents in 2015.
CAIR Report: Number of Incidents Targeting U.S. Mosque in 2015 Highest Ever Recorded
Since November 8, CAIR has noted a spike in incidents targeting American Muslims and other minority groups.
SEE: There Have Been More Than 300 Reported Hate Incidents Since Election Day
CAIR-Michigan Calls for Hate Crime Probe After Muslim Woman Forced to Remove Hijab
Also today, CAIR called on state and federal law enforcement authorities in Kentucky to investigate vandalism of a mosque in that state as a possible hate crime.
The Washington-based Muslim civil rights group is asking Muslim community members who believe their rights have been violated to contact local police and CAIR’s Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report
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.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, fomentar el diálogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprensión mutua.
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CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com
