The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a request by attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice for Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the Israeli government’s killing of American citizens and other crimes committed in recent years.
In a letter sent to Garland, Justice Department prosecutors pressed the attorney general to “investigate potential violations of U.S. law by Israel’s government, military, and citizenry, and hold the perpetrators to account.” The request relates to the killing of US citizens like Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, Kamel Ahmad Jawad, Shireen Abu Akleh; Israel’s illegal settlement activity in the West Bank, and evidence of war crimes and torture by Israeli forces.
CAIR previously called on the DOJ to investigate and prosecute the Israeli officials, soldiers and illegal settlers responsible for committing violent crimes against US citizens, including the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We commend these principled attorneys at the Department of Justice for calling on the Biden administration to hold the Israeli government accountable for the egregious crimes they have been committing, including the unchecked murder of American citizens. Just as the Justice Department has dedicated time and resources to filing charges when Israeli-Americans have been killed overseas, it must do the same when American Muslims and Palestinian-Americans are murdered overseas. A failure to do smacks of politics and racism. We urge the Justice Department to listen to the call of these attorneys and the American people.”
Mitchell said that CAIR also welcomed a letter to President Biden by 65 members of Congress demanding unimpeded media access to Gaza.
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, e-Mitchell@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