(BALTIMORE, MD, 11/28/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the “swift” response to an assault on three Afghan students who attend Gholson Middle School in Maryland’s Prince George’s County.
The brothers, who recently arrived in the United States and do not speak English, were attacked after school by a group of students in an incident that left two of the brothers hospitalized because of their injuries. In a letter to a community advocate shared with CAIR, the school principal Mr. Kevin Thompson wrote that he “rode in the ambulance and was at the hospital with the boys” where he also met with their father. CAIR is not aware of any bias motive for the attack.
According to officials, steps taken by the school include offering the family medical insurance/services; counseling and mental health therapy; nutritional support and transportation to and from school if the family chooses to accept it. The school also confirmed that they are working with their Diversity Office to coordinate trainings for students to “increase [respectful] interactions among students based on an understanding of all cultural backgrounds and differences.”
While it is against school policies to disclose disciplinary actions taken against the students who perpetrated the attack, it assured the family that it has applied the appropriate consequences according to its students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
CAIR has independently learned that at least one of the attackers has been expelled. The civil rights group encourages restorative justice in cases involving minors, which aims to examine the impact of the crime and repair harm while seeking accountability.
In a statement, CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said:
“We condemn this appalling attack on these boys and thank Gholson Middle School officials for their swift response. Although it is unclear why this incident occurred, the attackis the latest example of violence impacting recently-arrived Afghan children in Maryland schools. When these attacks occur, schools should investigate and take appropriate action, which is what Gholson Middle School did.
“Bullying targeting new refugees traumatizes not only the victims, but their entire families, who face language and cultural barriers and rarely have the knowledge or resources to pursue justice for their children. We call on lawmakers to legislate policies and solutions to address this growing crisis and allocate more funding and resources to prevent and respond to this kind of bullying in public schools so every child can have the safe learning environment they deserve.”
She noted that last month, CAIR condemned a violent assault and the reported forced removal of two Afghan students’ religious headscarves, or hijabs, last month at Baltimore City’s Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE) and welcomed the school system’s initial response to its calls for an investigation into the incidents, restorative and disciplinary action, and systemic policy changes.
SEE: BREAKING: CAIR Condemns Anti-Hijab Assaults on Afghan Muslim Students, Welcomes Baltimore School’s Response
Washington, D.C., based CAIR offers a booklet, called “An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” designed to help school officials provide a positive learning environment for Muslim students.
CAIR National’s 2022 Civil Rights Report, “Still Suspect,” documented various school-related complaints ranging from bullying, Islamophobic school curriculum, and holiday denials in 2021. Bullying is consistently one of the most common types of school-related complaints received at CAIR offices around the country.
SEE: 2022 Civil Rights Report: Still Suspect
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Still-Suspect-Report-2022.pdf
SEE ALSO: Bias and Bullying in Public Schools: Mitigating the Impact on Muslim and Perceived-as-Muslim Students
A 2022 poll by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding reports that almost half (48%) of Muslim families with school-age children reported having a child who faced religious-based bullying in the past year, with one in five families saying their child faces such bullying on a daily basis.
SEE: American Muslim Poll 2022
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 Office in Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062