The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, welcomed a hate crime sentencing against Charles Gathard for his racially-charged attack against his Black neighbors in Peoria County, Illinois.
“The sentencing of Charles Gathard shows that hate and bigotry will not be tolerated,” said Hafsa Haider, CAIR-Chicago’s Communications Coordinator. “Incidents like this remind us of the harm racial hatred causes and the need to hold individuals accountable to protect our communities.”
She said CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Maggie Slavin, Operations Manager of CAIR-Chicago, 815-590-3991, mslavin@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com