The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its Michigan chapter (CAIR-MI) today extended condolences to the families of victims in an attack on Mormon church in Michigan and encouraged houses of worship nationwide to review their security precautions.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR offers a “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety” booklet to help keep religious facilities safe. The advice in the booklet is applicable to all houses of worship.
CAIR’s safety booklet states in part:
“A general framework in which to think about institutional security falls within the following broad categories:
• Be Aware
• Assess Your Vulnerability
• Prepare and Plan
• Prevent
• Respond/Mitigate
• Recover
“This framework can be applied to all sorts of security issues, from hate graffiti to burglary or to an active-shooter episode. Decision-makers must decide which recommendations are best applied to their facility. They must also decide the order in which they will implement the process.”
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We extend our condolences to the families of the victims of today’s heinous attack on another house of worship, and we pray that God grants healing to those injured. Given the frequency of violence and vandalism targeting houses of worship, we encourage community leaders to review their security precautions. From 24/7 security cameras to armed security to an emergency evacuation plan, there are many practical steps that all mosques and other houses of worship should take to make their institutions as safe as possible.
“An attack on a church or any other house of worship is an attack on American of all faiths,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “Religious and political leaders must do everything we can to protect their communities from these senseless attacks.”
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-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR Lead Staff Attorney Amy Doukoure, 586-943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com