The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed an arrest and a hate charge in an incident involving two packages containing fake pagers and a sweatshirt with a logo of the Israeli military that were allegedly shipped to a Palestinian-owned business in Baltimore last month.
An FBI official reportedly told the victim that the suspect has been charged with two felony counts of a destructive device, and one felony count of use of a hate symbol.
[UPDATE: Baltimore police told CAIR “a suspect was arrested and is currently facing charges to include hate crime.”
Last week, CAIR called on the FBI to launch a hate crime investigation into the suspected bias-motivated incident targeting the small business. The items, which appear intended to intimidate and provoke fear, were mailed following the wave of exploding pagers detonated by Israeli forces in Lebanon last month.
“We acknowledge law enforcement agencies’ swift response to apprehend the suspect,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “Pursuing justice in these crimes brings peace of mind for those who are allegedly targeted and serves as a warning and deterrent to anyone who may be considering such an act – that there will be serious consequences.”
“It’s vital to recognize the suffering of those in Gaza alongside the pain of victims of hate crimes,” said the Palestinian-American business owner based in Baltimore, to CAIR in a statement. “Our families and communities deserve to have our pain and experiences be acknowledged and taken seriously, and we deserve an equal commitment from our government and its agencies to fight hatred and injustice. Achieving justice means ensuring our voices are heard and preventing such crimes from happening to anyone, anywhere.”
CAIR noted that the incident reflects a broader pattern of hostility and intolerance towards Palestinian Americans and the Muslim community at large.
The civil rights group stands in solidarity with all those fighting hate, and underscores the need to address and combat bigotry, intolerance and discrimination.
In August, CAIR announced new civil rights data on issues impacting Muslim and Arab communities in Maryland. That data highlights a troubling trend in reports of discrimination, free speech violations, hate bias incidents and bullying, among other concerns. CAIR documented 413 cases of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian complaints, incidents and requests for assistance statewide in Maryland between January – June 2024
Video: CAIR’s Maryland Office Announces 413 New Complaints from January-June 2024
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.
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 a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062; CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kim Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com; CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com