(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/14/23) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned an alleged machete attack on a Black priest in Louisiana by a suspect who allegedly said he “wanted to kill a black man today.”
St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office said Johnny Dwayne Neely, is charged with attempted second degree murder, hate crimes, home invasion and a bench warrant for the alleged attack Thursday in front of the St. John Catholic Church in Melville. A witness to the attack said Neely has Nazi “swastika and/or white supremacist tattoos.”
SEE: Machete attack leaves Melville priest in critical condition, investigated as possible hate crime
“We condemn this apparently bias-motivated attack on a religious leader and urge local and state leaders to speak out strongly against the growing racist hate that inevitably leads to such violent incidents, said CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison.
Allison added that earlier today, CAIR condemned the posting of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) flyers at Black churches in Tennessee.
He said Washington, D.C., based 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’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 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