The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed federal charges for a man who allegedly shot at a Black man in South Carolina due to his race.
A federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Andrew Felkel for violating housing rights and using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.
In August, CAIR supported federal hate crime charges in the case, which federal authorities said they were reviewing.
“This alleged act of racial violence underscores the urgent need for accountability for bias-motivated crimes,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Federal charges send a strong message that racially-motivated violence will not be tolerated and that the justice system must fully protect communities targeted by bigotry.”
Earlier this year, CAIR urged lawmakers in South Carolina to pass a hate crime bill.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR has previously expressed support for the passage of the hate crime bill in South Carolina.
SEE: CAIR Reiterates Support for South Carolina Hate Crime Bill
CAIR Reiterates Support for South Carolina Hate Crime Law After Bill Advances from Subcommittee
CAIR Backs Rally in Support of Proposed South Carolina Hate Crime Bill
Hooper 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.
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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