The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Florida), the state’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, today condemned the reported dumping of pork products outside a Middle Eastern market in Port St. Lucie and called for a thorough investigation into the incident as a possible hate crime.
According to reports, Port St. Lucie police are investigating after pork products were allegedly left outside a Middle Eastern market in what authorities are examining as a potentially bias-motivated act. The incident remains under investigation.
[NOTE: Muslims are prohibited from consuming pork products and bigots often use pigs or pork to deliberately offend Muslim sensibilities.]
“Targeting a business associated with a particular ethnic or religious community by leaving pork products outside its entrance is an act that appears designed to intimidate, harass, and send a message of exclusion,” said CAIR-Florida Communications Director Wilfredo Amr Ruiz. “We welcome the swift response by law enforcement and urge investigators to determine whether anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, or other bias motivations played a role in this disturbing incident. No member of our community should have to fear being targeted because of their faith, ethnicity, or background.”
He noted that noted CAIR’s latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996.
CAIR-Florida’s mission is to enhance an understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-Florida es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, proteger las libertades civiles, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, Esq., CAIR-Florida Communications Director, 305.502.6749, wruiz@cair.com