The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the sentencing of a man to 36 years in prison for the bias-motivated arson of two churches in Douglas, Arizona.
Eric D. Ridenour was convicted at trial of arson and hate crimes for a 2023 incident that resulted in the destruction of two churches in southern Arizona, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Arizona.
SEE: Fire-related hate crimes send Arizona man to prison for decades | 12news.com
“Attacks on houses of worship are completely unacceptable and must be prosecuted fully,” said CAIR-AZ Executive Director Azza Abuseif. “We welcome the sentencing and stand in solidarity with the impacted communities.”
She urged houses of worship to utilize CAIR’s Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety guide, which contains security advice applicable to institutions of all faiths.
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CONTACT: CAIR Arizona Executive Director Azza Abuseif, 602-349-1573, aabuseif@cair.com