(BALTIMORE, MD, 6/29/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced that it has called on the superintendent of Maryland’s Harford County Public Schools to investigate a reported attack on a female middle school Muslim student.
That student’s parent reported to CAIR that their daughter, a student at Bel Air Middle School, was allegedly violently assaulted earlier this month in an unprovoked attack in the school cafeteria, during which the alleged assailant reportedly shouted slurs and physically struck her repeatedly. A video of the alleged assault was reportedly shared among some students.
In a letter to Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson, Ed.D., CAIR Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry wrote in part:
“This ordeal has taken a heavy toll on [the Muslim student] and the family who have been struggling to understand what actions are being taken by the school system to exact justice for their daughter and make sure she is safe.
CAIR is respectfully calling on you and the Harford County Public School System to:
1) conduct a thorough investigation into this incident
2) share the findings with CAIR to help us better understand what consequences and actions have been/are being taken against the perpetrating student and the student(s) who recorded the video to pursue restorative justice, and
3) provide culturally appropriate self-empowerment and mental health resources and therapy for [the student] and her family, which CAIR can help facilitate.
CAIR National’s 2021 Civil Rights Report, Resilience in the Face of Hate, documented various school-related complaints ranging from bullying, Islamophobic school curriculum, and holiday denials in 2020. Bullying accounted for 44% of all school-related complaints.”
“This incident has struck us badly and we didn’t even know how to face and react as our emotions were hurt, especially after seeing the video that was recorded and other students chanting and then video was spread among students,” said the student’s father in a statement to CAIR. “We would like this to be addressed and made sure that no other kids/parents have to go through suffering like this.”
SEE: 2021 Civil Rights Report: Resilience in the Face of Hate
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CAIRReport.pdf
Bias and Bullying in Public Schools: Mitigating the Impact on Muslim and Perceived-as-Muslim Students
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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 Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, [email protected], 410-971-6062