The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for a hate crime probe of a possible bias motive for an incident targeting a mosque in Tennessee.
Officials with Islamic Center of Chattanooga says they are dealing with people “being disrespectful of their property.” The mosque is offering a reward for information about two men who reportedly urinated on the center’s doorstep Saturday night.
“Given the recent spike in anti-Muslim bigotry we have witnessed nationwide, it would only make sense for law enforcement authorities to consider a possible bias motive for this incident,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Americans of all faiths must be free to worship as they wish without fear of harassment.”
Hooper noted that CAIR recently released new civil rights data showing that it has received 3,578 complaints during the last three months of 2023 amid an ongoing wave of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate.
He urged house of worship to utilize CAIR’s Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety guide, which contains security advice applicable to institutions of all faiths.
Last week, CAIR’s New York chapter condemned an anti-Muslim tirade by an individual who reportedly entered a mosque in Melville on Wednesday and called for stepped-up security for houses of worship.
Last month, CAIR called on law enforcement authorities to investigate an alleged threat to shoot up and bomb a mosque in Mobile, Alabama.
Also last month, CAIR’s Florida chapter called for a hate crime charge against a California teen who threatened to shoot up a mosque in Seminole County.
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CONTACT: 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