(WASHINGTON D.C., 12/16/2021) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on law enforcement authorities to launch a hate crime investigation into an alleged assault on a female Muslim student at a high school in Fairfax, Va.
On Tuesday, a male student at Fairfax High School reportedly pushed a female Muslim student to the ground, took off her Islamic head scarf or hijab, and beat her up. The assailant reportedly used racial slurs. He was reportedly not punished for the incident and allegedly continued threatening other students.
Today, hundreds of Fairfax High School students staged a walkout demanding the administration take action, and a Change.org petition, saying the school needs to take accountability for the incident, has been posted.
A spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Schools said the district is investigating the incident. Fairfax County Police said they are in the early stages of a criminal investigation.
SEE: Fairfax High School students stage walkout to support student they say was target of Islamophobic attack
In a statement, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:
“It is the responsibility of administrators and educators to ensure the safety of all students, and by allowing the suspected assailant to return to school – where he reportedly threatened more students – they have failed in that duty. This incident must be investigated as a possible hate crime by law enforcement, and the alleged assailant must be suspended while the investigation takes place.”
He noted that CAIR has dealt with similar cases in schools nationwide.
SEE: CAIR Issues Maryland UMBC Campus Safety Advisory, Plans Self-Defense Training After Alleged Assault on Muslim Student
CAIR Condemns Alleged Hate Crime Against Maryland Muslim 6th Grader, Calls on Baltimore County Public Schools to Thoroughly Investigate
Hooper said the American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
SEE: CAIR-PA Welcomes Replacement of Civil War Markers Wording with ‘Enemy Soldiers’
CAIR-SFBA Welcomes Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Policy to Allow Muslim Women to Wear Headscarf While in Custody
WATCH: CAIR Releases First Samples of Evidence Against Anti-Muslim Hate Group IPT
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 National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]