(CANTON, MI, 06/30/2023) – The Michigan chapter of Council on America-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the recent indictment of an alleged white supremacist for the desecration of synagogue in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Nathan Weeden, a 23-year-old white male, earlier this week was indicted on federal charges for spray-painting Nazi symbols on Temple Jacob, a Jewish synagogue in Hancock, Mich. The indictment also alleges that Weeden, along with two other individuals, in 2019 plotted to vandalize properties of African-Americans and Jewish Americans. He was named as being a member of a white supremacist group called “The Base.”
The indictment was unsealed Thursday after Weeden was arrested by the FBI. He remains in custody.
SEE: Alleged member of white supremacist group accused of painting swastikas on U.P. synagogue (Mlive)
“We welcome federal law enforcement’s arrest and indictment of the alleged perpetrator of hate against the Jewish community in the U.P.,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “No faith community should be subjected to feeling unsafe in their own country, especially when it comes to their houses of worship being targeted.”
Walid also mentioned that Michiganians of goodwill should immediately contact law enforcement when they hear discussions or see online chatter about targeting any faith community with violence.
He 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’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, 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-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, (248) 842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI State Attorney Amy V. Doukoure, (586) 943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com