The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for a hate crime investigation of a reported attack in Brooklyn during which a group of suspects allegedly made anti-Palestinian remarks to and attacked a couple walking on a street.
SEE: Police hunt for perps who beat a couple in Brooklyn hate crime last week
One of the suspects reportedly shouted, “F— Palestine,” and one allegedly punched both victims multiple times in the face. The woman “sustained severe physical injury to one of her eyes, while the man suffered a laceration to his face as a result of the attack.”
“We urge law enforcement authorities to quickly apprehend these suspects and to bring appropriate hate crime charges based on the results of their investigation and on the alleged bias motive for the attack,” said CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher.
She noted that earlier this week, CAIR-NY welcomed the indictment of a Manhattan woman on hate crime charges for allegedly pepper spraying a Muslim Uber driver in anti-Muslim attack in July.
Nasher added that from January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
SEE: New CAIR Data Shows Anti-Muslim, Anti-Palestinian Hate Remain Elevated in First Half of 2024
Earlier this year, CAIR’s national office released its 2024 civil rights report, which revealed the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history. Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documented 8,061 complaints.
Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year.
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, anasher@cair.com, 917-669-4006
Saira Amar, MPA, CAIR-NY, Communications Coordinator, SAmar@cair.com