The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on law enforcement and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office to pursue all appropriate charges, including applicable hate crime charges, against a man who allegedly threatened to kill four Muslim men outside the Troy Public Library while reportedly armed with a handgun.
[NOTE: CAIR’s national office recently welcomed the federal indictment of a Utah man on a hate crime charge for allegedly stabbing a Muslim man at the West Valley Mall in West Valley City, Utah. Last night at its annual gala in Washington, D.C., CAIR recognized the three men who were killed saving countless lives when they confronted two white supremacist gunmen during the May 18 terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.]
According to information provided to CAIR-MI, four Muslim men were outside the Troy Public Library today, September 12, from approximately 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. staffing a table where they were providing free English translations of the Quran (Islam’s revealed text) and answering questions from members of the public about Islam. The men report that they were approached by an individual who asked what they were doing. When they explained that they were distributing Qurans, the individual allegedly asked whether they were Muslim.
After the men responded that they were, the individual allegedly reached toward or touched his back pocket, told them that he had a gun, and threatened to kill all four of them. Witnesses further report that the man stated that, if he could, he would kill all Muslims in the United States, claiming that Muslims were “terrorists.”
Troy police responded to the scene and arrested the individual. According to information provided to CAIR-MI, officers recovered a firearm from the man’s back pocket at the time of his arrest.
CAIR-MI is calling on the Troy Police Department and Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office to thoroughly investigate the incident as a hate-motivated crime and to pursue every criminal charge supported by the evidence.
“These men were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights, sharing information about their faith and answering questions from their neighbors, when they were allegedly targeted with an explicit death threat for one reason: because they are Muslim,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “When an individual reportedly announces that he has a firearm, threatens to kill four people standing in front of him, and then declares that he wants to kill Muslims across America because of their religion, the bias motivation could not be more apparent. We are asking prosecutors to treat the seriousness of that threat accordingly and pursue all appropriate hate crime and weapons-related charges.”
“This cannot be dismissed as offensive speech or a heated disagreement,” said CAIR-MI Lead Staff Attorney Amy V. Doukoure. “The allegation is that an armed individual specifically identified his intended victims by their Muslim faith, threatened their lives, and expressed a desire to kill Muslims throughout the country. Religious communities must be able to gather, speak about their faith, distribute religious literature, and engage with the public without fearing that someone with a firearm will threaten to murder them because of their religious identity.”
CAIR-MI is asking law enforcement to ensure that all available evidence is preserved and reviewed, including body-worn camera footage, surveillance footage from the Troy Public Library and surrounding area, 911 calls, dispatch records, witness statements, photographs, firearm evidence, and any statements made by the suspect before, during, or following his arrest.
CAIR-MI also urges anyone who witnessed the incident or recorded video of the encounter to preserve that evidence and provide it to law enforcement.
The civil rights organization is continuing to communicate with the individuals involved and will monitor the criminal investigation and charging decision.
BACKGROUNDER: CAIR recently responded to a number of anti-Muslim hate incidents nationwide.
On Friday, CAIR’s national office said Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith’s escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric, including comments made marking the anniversary of 9/11, incites anti-Muslim hatred and put American Muslims at risk of violence.
Also last week, CAIR called on law enforcement authorities in West Virginia to step up security in the area of mosques and Islamic institutions and investigate a reported online threat to “kill” Muslims in that state.
CAIR’s Ohio chapter welcomed federal charges filed against Wyatt Brzoska, a 20-year-old Valley City man accused of posting online threats and planning a violent attack against a mosque in Columbia Station, Ohio.
CAIR’s New York chapter condemned the reported harassment of Muslim minors outside a mosque in Albany, New York
Other recent anti-Muslim incidents:
CAIR welcomed the reported indictment of a Winston-Salem, N.C., teen allegedly connected to the May 2026 white supremacist terror attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.
CAIRexpressed support for an Indiana restaurant manager who reportedly stood up for a young Muslim employee after a customer allegedly made anti-Muslim comments about the employee’s hijab and reportedly said that Muslims “scare” her.
CAIR welcomed an arrest of a suspect in an allegedly bias-motivated spitting attack on a Muslim woman in Kentucky.
CAIR’s Maryland office condemned the reported harassment of multiple Muslim women wearing Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, at a market in Montgomery County.
CAIR’s Los Angeles office condemned the violent online threats responding to an online anti-Muslim smear campaign targeting the Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI).
In New York, CAIR called on local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate reported hate vandalism targeting a mosque site on Long Island as a possible hate crime.
CAIR’s Florida chapter welcomed charges for an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a mosque.
Its Michigan chapter welcomed federal charges against an Alaska man accused of making threats to injure and murder Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and issuing violent, Islamophobic threats against Muslims.
Its Pittsburgh and Philadelphia chapters welcomed the City of Erie’s response to reported threats targeting the local Muslim community and urged authorities to remain vigilant in protecting residents from anti-Muslim hate and intimidation.
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’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, 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
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director, Dawud Walid (248) 842-1418, [email protected]; CAIR-MI Lead Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure (586) 943-8823, [email protected]