(ANAHEIM, CA, 4/9/17) – The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called for hate crime charges to be considered following an alleged bias-motivated attack on a Muslim woman in downtown Los Angeles Saturday by a man who reportedly shouted racial slurs and beat her in the head.
The victim told a local media outlet that she believes she was targeted because of her religious attire (hijab). The man reportedly told her to “go back to her country” and made death threats. She suffered serious injuries, including a head wound. A suspect was arrested.
SEE: Investigation Into Possible Hate Crime Against Muslim Woman in Downtown Los Angeles
“The alleged bias statements made by the suspect indicate the need to consider hate crime charges in this case,” said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. “Hate attacks on ordinary Muslims, and particularly on Muslim women, are becoming all too common around the country and must be addressed by state and national leaders.”
On Friday, CAIR condemned an allegedly pro-Trump anti-immigrant arson attack on a North Carolina store that included a note warning of plans to “torture” immigrants and was signed “White America” and claiming that President Trump "is our nation builder for whites."
Video: CAIR Condemns Pro-Trump, Anti-Immigrant Arson Attack on North Carolina Store
CAIR recently decried what it termed the Trump administration’s “deafening silence” on a growing number of anti-Muslim incidents in recent days, part of trend that began during the recent presidential campaign and accelerated following the November 8 election.
SEE: CAIR-MN Concerned about Spike in Hate Crimes Targeting Minnesota Muslims
Video: CAIR-OK Releases 2016 Civil Rights Report Showing Spike in Anti-Muslim Hate Incidents
SEE: Colorado Islamic Center Vandalism Suspect Makes Court Appearance
SEE: Anti-Muslim & anti-Hispanic hate Crimes Rise on Long Island
Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has called for investigations of possible bias motives for 35 incidents targeting mosques in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Texas, and a number of other states. By comparison, in the January-March period in 2016, CAIR recorded 19 such incidents.
CAIR: This Map Shows How Many Mosques Have Been Targeted Just This Year (CNN)
In a soon-to-be-published report, CAIR will detail a more than 50 percent increase in anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2016 over 2015. That figure is accompanied by a more than 40 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period.
CAIR is asking American Muslims and Islamic institutions to take extra security precautions and is offering Muslim community leaders free copies of its booklet, "Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety." The booklet may be requested through CAIR's website:http://www.cair.com/mosque-safety-guide.html
CAIR-LA urges community members to report any bias incidents to local police and to CAIR-LA's Civil Rights Department at 714-776-1177 or by filing a report here.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.