As-Salam-Alaikum,
The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) today offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of an apparently bias-motivated attempted murder of a Muslim woman by an attacker reportedly shouting “raghead” and “sand n**ger,”
The 31-year-old victim, who is white and wears an Islamic head scarf (hijab), says she was driving home early Thursday morning from her job as a nurse when her vehicle was almost sideswiped by a red SUV.
When the victim pulled over and got out of her vehicle to check for damage and to collect herself following that near accident, the attacker made a U-turn and pulled up behind the victim’s vehicle. (She thought he was returning to check on her welfare.) He then allegedly got out of his SUV and began shouting obscenities and racial and religious slurs such as, “Oh my God, it’s a raghead,” “It’s an f**king raghead,” “sand n**ger,” and “desert monkey.”
The victim tried to get back in her vehicle, but the passenger side door was locked. At that point the attacker began waving a knife in the victim’s face and then hit her with its handle on her shoulder and arms.
The alleged attacker and his companion are described as white males, 20-35 years of age. The alleged attacker had tattoos on his arms and neck. Officials with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case (#HC180053011).
“We hope that anyone who has information about this potentially-deadly and apparently bias-motivated attack will immediately contact law enforcement authorities,” said CAIR-Houston Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll.
Community members are being urged to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR’s Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/report
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll, 832-549-1042, mcarroll@cair.com; CAIR-Houston Communications Coordinator Sobia Siddiqui, 832-782-3141, ssiddiqui@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com
If you would like to contribute to the reward we have offered you can donate HERE
All donations collected today and over the rest of the weekend will go solely toward the reward offered.
CAIR launched an app to share critical “know your rights” information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents. CAIR is urging American Muslims and members of other minority groups to download the app and utilize this resource to stay informed and empowered.
For a quick download of CAIR’s civil rights app, click here: http://www.cair.com/app
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
