(WASHINGTON D.C., 1/14/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed support for the “Clementa Pinckney Hate Crime Law,” named for the state senator killed along with eight others by a neo-Nazi, white supremacist shooter at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, S.C.
The shooter, Dylann Roof, was charged with a federal hate crime, but there is no similar charge in South Carolina. Several state lawmakers are now pushing for hate crime legislation. The bill has passed a state senate subcommittee, but must pass the full Senate before it can be signed into law
SEE: SC lawmakers working to pass Hate Crime Bill
“Every state must have laws that enable law enforcement authorities to properly charge those who target others based on bigotry,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “We urge lawmakers in South Carolina to fill this gap in the state’s legal system.”
The American Muslim community and CAIR stand in solidarity with all those challenging anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Virginia Attorney General’s Overturning of Racist Legal Opinions
CAIR-Minnesota Condemns Racist Anti-Asian Vandalism Targeting Korean Man’s Car in Brooklyn Park
CAIR Condemns Bomb Threat Targeting University of Utah Black Cultural Center, Racist Poster at Idaho School
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 Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com
