(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 11/15/2016) – The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today expressed concern about the lack of response by school officials in Coon Rapids, Minn., to an alleged assault on a Muslim middle schooler.
CAIR-MN says the family of the Northdale Middle School student reported that their child is feeling emotionally and physically distressed after she was allegedly assaulted on Friday by a classmate who came up behind her and violently pulled off her Islamic head scarf (hijab) and threw it on the ground. The classmate also pulled on her hair and let it come down in front of other students. The Muslim student now feels unsafe in the school and has yet to return to school.
School officials did not respond to the incident until Tuesday, despite the fact that the incident was reported immediately by the student and after being contacted by the family on Friday.
“School officials must take immediate actions to ensure that all students, regardless of their faith or ethnicity, are provided a safe learning environment,†said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein. “It should not take days to respond to an apparently bias-motivated assault on a student.”
He said CAIR has noted a spike in incidents targeting American Muslims and other minority groups since the November 8 presidential election.
Hussein said his organization is also looking into other recent hate incidents targeting Minnesota students in Blaine High School and Spring Lake Park among others.
Maple Grove School Investigating Racist, Pro-Trump Graffiti
2nd Minnesota H.S. Investigating Racist Graffiti
Yesterday, the Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization 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.
The Washington-based Muslim civil rights group is asking Muslim community members 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
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.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNationalÂ
Subscribe to CAIR's Email List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribeÂ
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnationalÂ
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv
– END –
CONTACT: CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein, 612-406-0070, jhussein@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.comÂ